A Soup of Sues: An Unorthodox Pretty Cure Story
by MadCow77
Summary: A teenage fan, a lone brooding warrior, a long-lost sister, a distant cousin, and a dark mysterious figure. What do they have in common? And why are they meddling in the Pretty Cure universe? Follow Ken's journey as he tries to unravel the mystery behind the Mary Sues. But things are not what they seem, as something sinister lurks between the boundaries of reality and fiction.
1. Encounters of the Sue Kind

**Preface**

A Soup of Sues is the result of my participation in NaNoWriMo 2014 and, as the title implies, contains Mary Sues. Before I begin, I would like to say two things:

Firstly, is my assumption that you, the reader, have at least a passing familiarity with the term "Mary Sue." If you don't know what a Sue is, I would recommend giving at least a cursory glance at the definition online, which you can easily find from a search engine, or on a site like TV Tropes. You may also find the term being discussed on forums here (e.g. in the Writers Anonymous forum).

The second point pertains to why I am even writing about Mary Sues. Parodies of them have been done to death already. There are even some very good stories that have taken a deconstructionist approach to them, on this site even. I wanted to try something completely out of left field as a personal writing challenge, so my task would be to take the concept of Mary Sues at face value and run with them with a totally straight face, and see how far I could go without resorting to parodies and deconstructions. It's a very different angle or take into the whole Mary Sue business, and I thought that it might be an interesting experience to explore.

So for better or for worse, and without further ado, let us begin.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Pretty Cure. This work of fiction is purely for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or OC Precures of other fanfictions, is purely coincidental.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Encounters of the Sue Kind**

"Are you all right?"

I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of the voice. My vision was a blur and my head throbbed with the pangs of a headache, no doubt from whatever activity that brought about my present situation. I tried to remember what I did last night, only to have the headaches intensify, forcing me to temporarily abandon any further mental exercise and divert my cognitive attention elsewhere.

"Are you all right?" the voice asked again, followed by a gentle shake on my left arm. It was a girl. I would have liked to imagine that it was my annoying little sister, waking me up for school or some other irritating matter while I chose the comfort of my warm, soft bed over the somewhat violent methods that she would resort to next. But alas, that wasn't her voice. Did I have too much to drink last night and ended up in a most troublesome situation the following morning? _Ugh_… there's that headache again. I quickly abandoned thoughts of last night.

One thing was certain – I wasn't at home and in my own comfortable bed. I wasn't even resting on a bed or anything soft for that matter. In fact it felt like the familiar sensation of multiple sharp but itchy pricks from lying down on a bed of grass. My hands reached out and touched the surface of my so-called bed. It was indeed grass.

I sprang up into a sitting position, narrowly colliding with one of the girls kneeling beside me. It was by some miracle or luck that she snapped back in time. My vision still hadn't fully returned to me, but I could discern that there were two of them. Not being able to clearly see their facial features, their most immediately identifiable trait was their hair.

The girl closest to me had shoulder-length red, or could it perhaps be pink or maroon, hair. I couldn't really tell the difference right now. Not that it mattered, because it was the most striking trait that my visual cortex could process and detail at the moment. Her companion was kneeling behind her, peering over her shoulder like a timid little sister in the presence of strangers. She had waist-length blue, cyan or marine, hair. They both looked roughly the same age as me, maybe even a little younger. The one in blue was cradling what looked like a white stuffed toy in her arms.

Now usually hair colour is not the first thing that one would notice and identify, but who goes around in bright and colourful hair in public? Cosplayers were the first thing that came to mind. I am in Tokyo, after all. On cue, the headache makes itself known again. When did I remember myself being in Tokyo? What was I doing in Tokyo? In any case, I unconsciously brought my hand up to my temple as the pain in my head intensified.

"Are you hurt?" the redhead asked, with a hint of curiosity and concern in her tone of voice.

"Yeah…" The pain quickly subsided the moment I ceased allocating memory-related tasks to my mental faculties. "Just a little bit of headache."

I looked around, my vision finally clearing to a point where I can actually make out shapes and patterns to a very reasonable level of detail. None of my surroundings particularly clicked in my mind, but this was certainly _not_ Tokyo at all.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We found you lying unconscious here. Do you remember how you got here?"

"No," I promptly answered. I didn't want to even try and think about that any further. But I did want to know what happened, and how I even got here in the first place – wherever this place is. "Where am I?"

"You're in the park."

"Yeah. I mean, _where_ am I?"

"Oh." The redhead lifted her index finger and placed it on her lip while considering my question. "You're in the town of Pikarigaoka."

"Pikarigaoka…" A sudden wave of familiarity washed over me. Or was it more like déjà vu? It didn't matter, but I took stock of my surroundings again just to be sure. Indeed, I began noticing details that my mind had simply overlooked the first time around. There was the familiar-looking bridge over the familiar river, and the familiar cityscape that was broken up by the occasional and irregular pattern of oversized fungi and sweets.

Now for the uninitiated, the town of Pikarigaoka exists in the _fictional_ world of Happiness Charge Pretty Cure, where magical girls all over the globe known as Pretty Cure, which are more commonly pronounced Precure, fight off an invasion from another dimension, the Phantom Empire. A typical attack involves one of their generals appearing in a population centre, magically trapping a random citizen in a sarcophagus-like mirror and then bringing forth a giant monster known as a Saiark to corrupt the landscape. Those strange-looking patterns of fungi and sweets around the city are signs of Saiark corruption.

Of course, the whole premise itself is rather silly, but Pretty Cure falls within the realm of entertainment for young girls. That aside, the realization that I've been dropped into such a fictional world itself was an almost assuredly absurd notion, but since I couldn't deny or refute any of the elements that stood before my eyes, I had to accept the reality of the situation.

"Ken."

"Huh?" The redhead tilted her head slightly, giving off a somewhat perplexed expression.

"Sorry. I mean my name is Ken."

"I'm Aino Megumi. And this is my friend, Shirayuki Hime," she said, gesturing to the bluenette behind her.

Of course! It was so obvious who these two were. Being dropped into a fictional world only to immediately meet two main characters from that world? It could not get any more clichéd than that. "The both of you are Precures?"

The girls snapped back, their eyes wide open as they put their hands to their open mouths in surprise. There was also a slight hint of movement from Hime's plush toy. That was most definitely Ribbon, Hime's fairy partner. Fairies and spirits are common entities in Pretty Cure, usually having small plush toy-like appearances and often forming lifelong bonds of friendship with their respective partners. In any case, theirs was a reasonable reaction; having a total stranger know your secret identity is certainly a shocking revelation, and I needed to take advantage of this if I am to integrate myself and determine is happening.

"How do you know about us?" Megumi asked. Hime simply withdrew further behind Megumi, occasionally throwing me odd glances which I couldn't clearly identify as curiosity or suspicion. I don't remember if she was always this shy; in any case, I wasn't certain how far I was in the canon timeline to make proper judgements like that.

"I'm from another world." I paused to give some careful thought about where I was going with this opening line. "It's like Shirayuki-san situation where she's from the Blue Sky Kingdom, but mine's a _different_ world. I'm not really sure about the details myself, but I was hoping to get some answers or at the very least, some clues, if I could be allowed to talk to Blue-sama?"

This was the part where I hoped that name-dropping Blue, an individual who is powerful enough to seed the world with Precures and acts as their guide and mentor, would give me at least a tiny fraction of credibility which could in turn persuade these two to help arrange an audience with him.

"So you're in some kind of trouble and need Blue-sama to help sort things out for you." Megumi beamed with a wide smile. "Of course we'll help!"

"You will?" Both Hime and I voiced out at the same time. I couldn't believe that it was so simple. On Hime's reaction, I suspected that she had some reservations about me. I couldn't blame her; she had a shy personality and didn't easily make friends or get close to people whereas Megumi was the kind of happy-go-lucky and always-charging-forward-cheerfully type.

Megumi nodded. "It wouldn't be true happiness if I didn't try to at least help someone in need!"

"Thanks. I appreciate it," I said, her happiness-charged attitude eliciting a smile from me.

* * *

We walked through the town of Pikarigaoka, the three of us, while I took in the scenery. Seeing the town on a television screen was one thing, but to experience the place itself first hand is another. You could sense the sheer happiness of the place, as if that emotion was a real and tangible thing in this world. It's not something that could be easily put down into words; subjective and perceptual feelings like this are never easy to explain without experiencing it first-hand.

We walked past several landmarks that I had a passing familiarity with. There was the karate dojo where Megumi's childhood friend trained, the array of shop houses where Megumi often visits for marketing supplies, and the famous lunch shop, Omori Gohan. Seeing this place reminded me that I needed to establish where I was in the canon timeline. "So… how many Precures are there in your team now?"

Hime has yet to open up to me, so she continued to flinch and hide behind Megumi, leaving the redhead to answer my question. "Four," she said, thinking to herself for a moment before continuing. "Though the fourth was a very recent addition."

"Cure Honey and Cure Fortune?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Yeah!"

The seemed rather odd. By this time, Hime should have had more exposure to strangers and made friends already, but she still seemed to be quite the timid one. Perhaps I was just a special case. After all, it is not an everyday occurrence where some stranger shows up on your turf proclaiming to know your secret identity and ask to speak to your leader. Am I sounding like some kind of alien invader from another dimension now? If Megumi or Hime were to be slightly more genre-savvy, I would probably have received a smack in the head for using such clichéd methods by now.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of panic. From the opposite direction, a crowd was running past, clearly afraid of what was ahead of us. The atmosphere itself seemed to have changed too. I no longer felt as much happiness as I did from the town centre earlier; terrible feelings seemed to be washing over, and I could almost sense where this feeling was coming from.

"Quickly find somewhere safe to hide!" Megumi said before sprinting off together with Hime and Ribbon.

Without hesitating, I quickly took off after them both.

It didn't take long for the two girls to notice me running after them. Without breaking her stride Megumi turned her head back slightly to address me. "What do you think you're doing, Ken?"

"You told me to find somewhere safe," I answered, feeling a little bit surprised at the pace that the girls were going and that I could actually keep up with them without losing stride. "When the Phantom Empire attacks, the safest place to be is by the side of any one of you girls."

That was nothing but a blatant paraphrase from another show. It was a lame response, but one that was necessary. I couldn't afford to let those two out of my sight, not when I was still in unfamiliar territory, so my best strategy was to stick to them at all times regardless of the danger.

"When the fight starts, be careful and stay behind cover!"

"Roger that!"

* * *

We soon reached the epicentre of the invasion. A large, black humanoid towered over the surrounding shops wielding an appropriately-sized hammer in one hand and a cordless power drill in another. It wore a pair of red sunglasses, a green scarf and denim overalls. This was a Saiark.

The colour of a Saiark's scarf identifies who summoned it. The green scarf marks it as a Saiark of Namakelder, a lazy slacker of a general who prefers loafing around than actual fighting. I am amazed that he can operate as a legitimate threat with such a lax attitude. Speaking of the devil, Namakelder himself was standing atop the flat rooftops behind the Saiark, dressed in his usual green coat and leaning on a walking cane. A pair of antenna jutted out of his top hat, though I have to wonder if it was just for show or did he really exhibit insect-like attributes.

"So you've come, Precures." Namakelder casually twirled his cane around his finger and smiled confidently at the two girls. "It's really such a bother to have you show up."

While the girls traded threats and taunts with the Phantom Empire general, I searched for a place to hide and take stock of the situation. Standing in the presence of a real Saiark was a completely different experience compared to just seeing one onscreen. For one, while still looking hugely ridiculous, I could sense its terrible presence that drowned out all feelings of happiness within the surrounding area. It felt suffocating. There was also the tiny little fact that this thing could probably and easily squash a person like a bug.

Besides Namakelder and the Saiark, there should also be other Choiarks around. These are the common foot soldiers, or _mooks_ as I prefer to call them, of the Phantom Empire. Often, hordes of them accompany a general during the invasion. For the moment I did not catch sight of any, but if my gut feeling is to be believed, they would show up sooner or later. In any case, I found myself eagerly awaiting the next event to unfold – the transformation of Megumi and Hime into their Pretty Cure forms.

I had set myself up for a disappointment. As a matter of fact, I shouldn't have been surprised that their transformation sequence didn't take a whole minute to complete while they danced around in magical light while their clothes changed from within glowing hearts and ribbons. This may be a genre convention in magical girl shows, but obviously it wouldn't really make sense to have something as ridiculous as that play out during an actual battle. So instead, what I got was Megumi and Hime being briefly engulfed in a bright glow, and that was it. They have transformed and were ready to kick ass and chew bubble gum.

On cue, a legion of black-dressed Choiarks appeared, literally crawling out of the woodwork and spreading around the two Precures. Megumi and Hime, as Cure Lovely and Cure Princess respectively ducked, weaved and punch at speeds I would never have believed possible. They were truly indeed magical girls, their physical capabilities magnified by their Pretty Cure powers beyond the limits of what one could consider human.

As they fought the sea of Choiarks around them, the Saiark moved in to engage. Without any concern for friend or foe, it swung its hammer left and right haphazardly, causing massive collateral damage as the hammer collided with surrounding buildings. Lovely and Princess seemed to struggle with its chaotic swings, constantly being pushed back as they tried to avoid one too many wild swings from that enormous creature. As they continued to battle, two more girls landed by their side and, for a brief moment, managed to block one of the Saiark's overhead swings and push it back a little.

The girl in yellow is Cure Honey. She is the only Precure of the four who fought with a weapon – a baton that she sometimes also used with ribbons. I considered her a support class type of Precure; her core skills cover healing, buffing and de-buffing, though she can be quite a handful in a fight and throws a very mean finisher. You wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of that.

The purple one is Cure Fortune. I label her as the lone wolf type who eventually softens up and joins the group. Conceptually, she's the most experienced and strongest fighter of the four, but from what I had gathered earlier she must have just recently joined the group so her cohesion with the team may not be so solid yet.

The four of them launched a fresh set of attacks. With a brief flash of light, Cure Lovely's clothes transformed into a longer red dress with black high-heeled shoes. This is one of her form changes, Cherry Flamenco. With a graceful spin of a flamenco dancer, a ring of fire expanded around her and cleared the immediate surroundings of Choiarks. With fewer obstacles in the way, Princess, Honey and Fortune dashed past her and proceeded to engage the Saiark three-on-one.

It seemed as if the three girls would be able to push the Saiark back even more, but it quickly recovered from their attacks and continued swinging its hammer with reckless abandon. Princess was forced to take to the skies to avoid one of its many wild swings, while Honey and Fortune leapt back together, unable to hold on to their advantage any further. While their attention was drawn to the berserk Saiark, Choiarks began to surround them once more.

The four of them continued to lose ground over the combined fanaticism of the Choiarks and the ferocious advances of the Saiark. Namakelder, on the other hand, just hung back lazily and out of harm's way. The thought of sneaking up behind the Phantom Empire general with a heavy and blunt object briefly crossed my mind, but I hurriedly dismissed the idea as being too reckless. After seeing the Precures fight, and seeing how they moved, there was absolutely no way that any ordinary human could compete on their level.

Something had been bothering me about this fight but before I managed to put a foot on it, the battleground has expanded. As the fight spilled over to my position, I turned around and darted towards the next nearest piece of rubble that I could spot. I leapt over and ducked behind a large slab of concrete, noting that it was perhaps once part of a nearby shop, and hoped that I wasn't noticed during my brief sprint.

I was wrong. Something did take notice of me. I caught a glimpse of a shadow over me and quickly jumped aside as a foot came stomping down on my position. Turning to face my attacker, I was partially relieved to find out that it wasn't the Saiark. Still, there were at least half a dozen Choiarks standing before me, and I wasn't sure how I would stand up to a single Choiark, let alone a group of them.

Throwing caution to the wind, I curled up my fingers and swung as hard as possible at the nearest Choiark. My fist exploded in pain, immediately recoiling and forcing me to double back after the impact. It was a stupid move that only served to piss off the Choiark that I had hit. I reflexively raised my arms to protect myself from the inevitable beating, but what came next was completely unexpected and unparalleled.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a _fifth_ Precure had landed right in front of me and, with a single roundhouse kick, she sent the group of Choiarks airborne. The ease in which she defeated them made me think of how she was on a whole new level above the other four Precures. Come to think of it, I realised just what was off with this whole scenario. This Saiark, along with the whole fight had never occurred in canon. Furthermore, I didn't even recognise this new girl at all. The timeline here seemed to be completely off its rails. Was it my fault, my appearance in this world throwing the entire series off like this? Despite the urgency of the matter, I still couldn't help but ponder how unprecedented this entire scene was being played out.

This new arrival was attired in a completely different style from the other four Precures. For one, she did not have the same black corset-like dress that the others wore. Her dress seemed more like a very outlandish red sailor fuku, lined with white and yellow frills and ribbons with a large heart-shaped brooch on her chest. Her hair was a multi-coloured mix of crimson, blue, brown, yellow and white. When she turned her head towards me, I was unexpectedly drawn to her sparkling green eyes. She then leapt into the main fray, beating aside Choiarks with bewildering speed and precision.

I watched the battle unfold with my mouth agape. She swept aside Choiark after Choiark, and then went after the Saiark without waiting for the other four Cures to gather for support. In a rapid series of punches and kicks, she quickly brought it down to the ground. Without a single pause, she leapt to the skies and raised a single palm. A bright flash of light followed, and then the Saiark was bathed in a soft, warm glow. That was her finishing move, purifying the Saiark and restoring happiness to the nexus of dark and terrible feelings.

Having lost the Saiark, and therefore the fight, Namakelder threw some snide remarks at the Precures before disappearing, teleporting back to the Blue Sky Kingdom where the Phantom Empire was presently based from. Or at least that's where I had assumed he would go.

"Cure Crimson!" Lovely called out, obviously referring to this fifth new Cure, who simply nodded in response.

It was rather surprising that they both knew each other. Also, the title Crimson sounded completely out of place in this happiness-centric world. My mind swirled with theories and conjectures, but until I had a solid clue to latch onto, they were nothing more than theories and conjectures. I stepped out from cover and walked right up to the group. "Do you know each other?"

I didn't direct my question at any one in particular, but Lovely and Princess simply nodded to me. Honey and Fortune, on the other hand, expressed surprise and gave me odd looks, but that is to be expected. To them, a random stranger had just approached, asking questions as if he already knew them.

Cure Crimson didn't bother to pay any attention to me as she reverted back to her civilian form. I turned to her and asked, "And you are?"

She turned and stared me down with an icy gaze, seemingly irritated that I had even dared to speak to her. I then realized a slight mistake earlier about her eyes – only one of her eyes was green. Her other eye was sparking red. The palm of my hand craved to meet my face right there and then. It took all my effort to prevent that fateful meeting.

"I'm Ken," I repeated. "You are…?"

She sighed audibly before answering. "Akahime Marisu."

"Aka-what?"

"You heard me the first time," she shot back in an unpleasant tone. "In any case, I'm busy and have no time for games. See you around."

With that, she turned and walked away, nonchalantly waving to us with the back of her hand. Some part of me wanted to run after her and demand more answers, but the other part reminded me that I still had unfinished business with these girls to attend to.

"Mari… su…" I found myself muttering under my breath. Was that even a proper first name? I was caught off guard and wasn't even aware until later that my surroundings had already begun to magically restore itself, an effect that often followed after a Saiark had been defeated by the Precures.

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

The chapter title, _Encounters of the Sue Kind_, is a reference to the movie _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_.

In the anime _Kill la Kill_, after Mako Mankanshoku was told to find somewhere safe, she replied that the safest place to be was by Matoi Ryuko's side.

The phrase, to kick ass and chew bubblegum, was popularised by the PC game _Duke Nukem 3D_.

Marisu's multicoloured hair and eyes is a common trait among certain types of Mary Sues.


	2. A God, a Fortune and a Sister

**Chapter 2: A God, a Fortune, and a Sister**

The nine of us were gathered together in the living room at The Embassy. This was the place where Hime stayed with Blue and Ribbon. While I was unsure if "The Embassy" was actually an official designation for this building or not, but it was still quite an apt title considering the fact that Hime was a real princess from a foreign world. It also helped that the place was big enough and had the right kind of look too.

All eight pairs of eyes were staring intently at me, waiting for me to speak. Usually I do not have trouble speaking to people. However, the uniqueness of my present situation was extraordinary enough that a loss of words on my part had to be reasonably understandable. As I pondered what to say to this unique collection of individuals, my eyes casually scanned each one of them.

First, Aino Megumi and Shirayuki Hime. They were the first two girls whom I had met earlier, so there was no need for any further introduction to them. Next was the yellow-haired Omori Yuuko, also known as Cure Honey. Her love for rice was legendary, as was her honey candy, supposedly. I made a mental note to myself: try her honey candy one day. Sitting beside her was the purple-haired Hikawa Iona, or Cure Fortune, the lone wolf who had almost fully opened up to the group and became a strong addition to the team.

My eyes glossed over to the only other teenage boy in the team, Sagara Seiji. He was a capable fighter, trained in karate like Iona, and also the childhood friend of Megumi. He and Megumi were prime candidates for shipping, so I made a note to look out for them, knowing that characters like Marisu were prowling about.

Then there were the two fairies, Ribbon and Glasan. Appearances-wise, they were relatively similar, looking to the casual observer like a pair of flying plush toys with large… bags, I had guessed… strapped to their backs. They looked like ladybugs or tortoises with those bags attached. Ribbon, Hime's fairy partner, was the pink-themed one whereas Glasan, Iona's partner, was purple. Glasan also sported a rocking pair of glasses on her brow.

Finally, we move on to Blue. Everyone called him by the title _Kami-sama_, addressing him as a god. Presumably a deity of the earth, this blue-haired and blue-eyed entity was solely responsible for seeding the world with Pretty Cure for the express purpose of combating the worldwide Phantom Empire invasion. He gets around through mirrors, which could lead a traveller to just about anywhere in the world. The large mirror in The Embassy's living room led directly to his private chambers, a room of mirrors that essentially existed in another plane of existence and served as his base of operations.

Anyway, Blue was the person whom I wanted to meet and so here I was, choking over words to begin my explanation. This is never a good sign. I made another quick glance around the room to gauge what everyone was thinking about me. Unsurprisingly, they were all still staring intently at me, obviously eager to hear what I had to say. Iona and Seiji seemed to have a stern expression, however. Perhaps they were suspicious of my presence?

With a deep breath and sigh, I began. "Hello everyone. My name is Ken, and I come from another world." Megumi, Hime and Ribbon have already heard this, of course, but this was more for the benefit of the rest of the group. I continued, "I don't really know the circumstances of how I ended up here, but from where I come from there are people who know of the Pretty Cure and that is how I knew that Aino-san and Shirayuki-san were Precures." I was hoping to avoid mentioning the fact that they're fictional characters from where I come from. The present situation is already awkward enough as it is and there's no point in contributing more towards that aspect.

"I guess…" I paused for a moment and directed my gaze to Blue before continuing. "I'm hoping that perhaps Blue-sama might be able to help me find the way home?"

Blue seemed to stare outwards at nothing in particular, deep in thought. After a moment, he turned to look directly at me and said, "I think I understand your situation and what you are asking. But I feel that you have not told us the full story and that there are some remaining secrets you have chosen not to share with us."

My heart might have as well skipped a beat. I was totally called out like an amateur, and prepared for the worst possible outcome.

But Blue smiled instead. "Whatever secrets you have, I'm sure that you will tell us when the time is right. As long as you are sincere to yourself, I will help you find your way home."

That was an unexpected decision, as I had already expected more interrogation from him. "Umm… thanks… I think?" was all that I could eke out.

"Do you have a place to stay?" asked Blue.

"Unfortunately, no."

"Then you are welcome to stay with us until you manage to find your way home."

I have to admit, I was hoping very much for this outcome but it still came to me as a surprise. Megumi was beaming like her usual happiness-charged self. I couldn't read Hime that well, but if I were to guess I would say… a mix of surprise and displeasure, perhaps? It seemed that Iona and Seiji still had some bits of suspicion about me which I will probably need to clear up in the following days. Yuuko had the unexpected idea of making dinner for us all and was already on her way to the kitchen. Ribbon and Glasan seemed to be carrying a whispered conversation between themselves while occasionally throwing glances in my direction. I guess I already have my work cut out for me then.

* * *

There was a lot more work to be done than I had expected. Since I had just appeared out of nowhere in this world, I had no money, no spare clothes and not a single piece of essential item on me. There was also the issue of finding work and earning my keep here; no one was expecting me to freeload during my stay here. But before we could even get to that, the more immediate concern was supplies. Iona and Glasan had volunteered to take me shopping while the rest either helped Yuuko with prepare dinner or prepare one of The Embassy's many rooms for me.

"So, you come here often?" That was me, trying to initiate small talk with Iona as we entered a relatively normal-looking store. We came here to get essentials such as towels, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and the like.

"The price of the things here are quite reasonable," she said without breaking her stride. She systematically ushered me from aisle to aisle, suggesting what things I need based on necessity and price, but it was mostly the price. And by suggesting, I meant directing. Before long, we were moving on to the next store for clothes, and then finally for groceries. The groceries part was mostly for stocking up The Embassy and addressing a list from Yuuko though.

Iona quickly and systematically went through the itinerary with such focus that I didn't get much opportunity to discuss anything serious with her. The opportunity presented itself, however, on the walk back.

"So, how did you meet Cure Crimson?"

Iona stopped and glared at me. "Marisu? Is this what it's about?"

"What's what about?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"What's your interest with Marisu?" Both Iona and Glasan were now patiently awaiting my response.

It looked like we aren't going to be going home until this thing has been settled. "It's just that she doesn't seem to fit in. By that, I mean to say that I feel like she's also an outsider. If she is one, then I would very much like a word with her. After all, it could help with my situation."

"Is that so?" Iona relaxed a little bit, her glare softening into mere curiosity. She casually tossed a glance at Glasan, who just shrugged her shoulders in response. "Come to think of it, she does feel a little different from the rest of us. Anyway, if you wish to learn more about Marisu, you should ask Megumi or Hime. I haven't really talked to her much, and she doesn't seem like the talkative kind to me."

"Thanks." That came out of nowhere, and I wasn't exactly sure why my mouth decided to get a mind of its own.

"For what?"

Thanks for not suspecting me of anything malicious, even though I'm a total stranger who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and has tremendous intelligence on your team and their personal background and history, was what I could have said. Personal suicide in its finest form.

"It's nothing. Let's get back. It's getting late," is what I settled for instead.

* * *

Before dinner, I had a chance to visit Blue's room – his inner sanctum – the room of mirrors that sat on another plane of existence. Countless mirrors floated around the blue interior, a fitting theme for a deity named Blue. It is said that these mirrors could connect one to another place or world, and this was what I was banking on to get me back.

"Look upon the mirror and pour your feelings of home into it," Blue instructed.

That was about as vague as things could get. Since I wasn't really sure what that meant, I thought _hard_ about home and about family, particularly that annoying sister of mine. After nearly a minute of facial contortions, a probably useless skill I never realised I had, there was no reaction in any of the mirrors at all.

Blue placed his hand reassuringly on my shoulder. "It could be that your world is too distant for my mirrors to reach, or that your feelings for home are not strong enough yet. Either way, I'm sure that given time, a path will present itself so don't worry too much about what happened. It could be that the time has not yet come for you to return to your home."

"I see. Thanks for trying anyway." I dejectedly left Blue's chambers via mirror and returned to the living room of The Embassy, just in time for dinner to be served.

* * *

Dinner went by rather uneventfully. I was quite glad for that, actually. With so much going on earlier today, I would have preferred to be given time to process all the information that I have gathered so far instead of being at the receiving end of more questions and answers. Yuuko's rice was fantastic, by the way.

As I lay on the bed in my new room, I started organising my thoughts. Finding a way home was still a priority despite my earlier setback, but besides that, how did I get here in the first place? Why was I _brought_ here? I firmly believe some outside or unseen force must have brought me here for a reason. Although one could easily reason that I may have just stumbled upon some crack between parallel universes or whatever you called it, but the odds of that, and to end up in such a specific world, had to be so unlikely that I might have as well won the lottery ten times in a row.

I then focused my thoughts onto Marisu. Given the fact that she doesn't exist in any Pretty Cure story, she is very likely an outsider like me. So what is she doing here? Perhaps she may be the reason why I was brought here? In any case, it seemed that my best course of action was to investigate this girl and try to learn more about the circumstances surrounding her.

So perhaps going home can wait. Do I even want to go back to that boring place I call home, when there's adventure and excitement to be had here? It was a tempting thought indeed, but I decided to shelve that thought for now. Home can wait. Figuring out the mystery behind Marisu came first.

With that I closed my eyes and prepared for morning to come.

* * *

"I don't know what your game plan is, but we need to talk."

I coughed, spurting out a fine mist of coffee onto the table. I had planned to start searching for Marisu after finishing breakfast at Yuuko's shop but to have her seek me out instead took me by surprise. "Thanks for making me choke over my drink."

Marisu sat down across me and glared. It was the kind of glare where you were supposed to know that you did something wrong even though you weren't really sure what it was. I wasn't really prepared to have this conversation, so I deadpanned and waited for her response.

"Did something happen? What's with the cold shoulder?"

I was taken aback by her response. She obviously knew more than I had thought. "Am I supposed to be knowing something that I don't?"

"Look, you're just supposed to be-"

Marisu stopped and her face turned sour. Her gaze left me and began to lock onto something behind me. I turned to follow her gaze, not sure what to expect. Since we were inside a simple lunch shop, I wasn't expecting anything dramatic like the appearance of another Phantom Empire general or the like.

It was Megumi, Hime and Ribbon. The three of them had just entered the shop. Megumi smiled and waved when she noticed Marisu and me. Hime, on the other hand, seemed to be preoccupied by someone standing beside her, but I couldn't see that person because Megumi was in the way. It was probably either Iona or Seiji, as Hime seemed to be smiling and getting along quite well with that person.

I raised my hand and returned Megumi's greeting, while at the same time calling the attention of the rest of her group. "Yo!"

Marisu got up and prepared to leave. She's not the one to socialize, I suppose.

"Marisu-chan, you're not staying?" Megumi asked as she happily skipped over to our table.

"Sorry, but I'm busy today."

I stopped paying attention to Megumi or Marisu after that, because I had noticed Hime's companion. It was another girl that I didn't recognise. That wasn't the only problem, though. This was Hime. The shy, introverted Hime was getting along so well with a stranger, and that little fact alone raised all kinds of warning klaxons.

As Marisu walked past, I quickly grabbed and tugged at her sleeve. "Do you know that person?"

Marisu bent over to my ear and whispered, "I've never seen her before." After having said her piece, she nonchalantly shook me off and left. As she walked past the stranger, they both exchanged quick glances. The stranger seemed to give Marisu a disdainful look. If my imagination were even remotely wilder than it was now, there would be a sudden crack of thunder as the room turned dark while lighting arced and highlighted their silhouettes.

Megumi took a seat at the table and initiated some small talk with Yuuko. Hime was still busy talking to her companion, a fair-skinned girl with shoulder-length cyan hair. I still haven't gotten used to a world where bright and colourful hair is the norm.

"Hello, Shirayuki-san. Who's your friend?"

Hime froze. That's just great, isn't it? She can so easily get along with her companion but was still apprehensive towards me.

"She's Hime-chan's sister," Megumi answered in her stead.

"What?" That was really shocking news to me. A sister? I could see where this might be going. I wouldn't be surprised if the stranger was somehow a long lost twin sister who was separated at birth and therefore never meeting each other. Until now. Even worse, the cold expression that the stranger gave to Marisu was now completely gone, replaced by a beaming smile of epic proportions.

"Hi hi!" Her -_sister_ greeted me with as much enthusiasm as a sugar-rich Megumi _squared_ would. The feeling was nauseating. "I'm Marie-Sueanna Window Cure Diva of the Blue Sky. Pleased to meet you, err…"

"Ken."

"Pleased to meet you, Ken!" She ended that with a cutesy wink. Or at least it was meant to be cute, but at this point I was just disturbed by the whole exchange.

"Marie-Sueanna Window…" I lost track of the rest of her name.

"You can just call me Marie." She continued beaming at me, her smile occupying more of her face than I thought possible. The happiness was over nine thousand in this one, apparently. I just hoped that it wasn't infectious.

"And you are… Shirayuki-san's _sister_?"

"Yes, correct!" More happiness-charged smiles, with a raised index finger just for dramatic effect. I didn't know how long I could take it before contemplating seppuku.

"Though we only found out this morning," Megumi added.

"We were separated at birth, you see. I was brought up in the Dark Sea Kingdom where Hime nee-chan's uncle was king."

Great, so they've only met for a less than day and are already going by first name-_chan_ basis? I resisted the attempt to ask if they were twins. Part of me was really curious to know the answer, but at the same time I imagine I might have rage-flipped the table right there and then if I found out that they were.

I was really glad that I didn't ask.

* * *

**Author's Note**: As some readers may already know, Shirayuki Hime is Himelda Window Cure Queen of the Blue Sky. Now, etymology-wise, I would presume that Window may be a family name while Cure Queen could be a title. Thus I kept Window in Marie's name but changed her title to Cure Diva, which seemed more apt considering her personality.

A long-lost sibling is yet another common warning sign in fan faction that the character may be a Mary Sue.

The phrase, _over nine thousand_, is derived from the popular _Dragonball_ series.


	3. There's Something About Marie

**Chapter 3: There's Something About Marie**

My head swam in thoughts as I sat at the table, systematically finishing my breakfast while the three girls – Megumi, Hime and Marie – continued chatting and gossiping about girl-things, I suppose. Yuuko also joined the conversation whenever she wasn't serving customers. I was too preoccupied in my thoughts to bother listening in on them.

Discounting me, there were now two outsiders tampering in this world. I use the word tampering because the timeline no longer matches the knowledge that I have of the actual fictional world. I didn't have any other explanation for the divergent timeline, after all.

"Let's go shopping later together, Megumi-chan!"

That familiar nauseating feeling wafted over me. Marie was dumping her overbearing, overcharged happiness onto Megumi – figuratively speaking, of course. She had left her seat and gave Megumi a big hug from behind, as if they had been BFFs forever. Hime was beside her, nodding approvingly at the pair. Even Ribbon seemed to be not bothered by Marie's over-the-top behaviour. I didn't bother to count how my times my eyes twitched at this unsightly scene.

Something has been bothering me ever since I arrived in this town. Meeting Marisu raised my suspicions even more, and now the appearance of Marie confirmed it. The timeline in this world has seriously gone out of control, and I don't know how much further it is going to stray from canon. The presence of these two outsiders were the most likely cause. Could the timeline be reeled back in? Could I do such a thing? Perhaps this was the reason that I was brought to this world. It certainly made some amount of sense. Things always happen for a reason, and I'd like to believe that some outer force was guiding me here in order to repair a damaged timeline and prevent further deviation from canon. I wondered if these two even realised what they were doing, and what their motivations are in the first place. In any case, my immediate task was to prevent this shopping trip from ever happening in the first place.

"Hey, Aino-san…" I began.

"Call me Megumi," she interrupted. "You don't have to be so formal around us."

I blinked, caught off my stride for a moment. "Megumi-san…"

"Just Megumi will do, okay?" She was beaming like her usual self, but Marie was already beginning to stare at me with an unsightly gaze. That's good, I think? At the very least, I've got their attention.

"Okay. Megumi… didn't we have something else to do today?" It had just occurred to me that we _didn't_ actually have anything planned out, but I was just winging it right out from my proverbial behind. The whole point of this exercise was to immediately get in the way of the outsider, Marie; I would need to think of some excuse later.

"Did we?"

"Oh, you must have forgotten," I said, smiling uncomfortably like a kid who had just been caught doing something bad. "Anyway, we wouldn't want to get in the way of Shirayuki-san's and her sister's quality time, would we? I'm sure that they will have a lot to catch up on."

Marie's burning gaze was now on me as she attempted to murder me with her mind. I paid no attention to it and hoped that Megumi would fall for my sorry excuse of a lie. If it did any good, I also tried to pretended and blush, fidgeting nervously in my seat. How does one pretend to blush anyway?

"Yes, why don't we let Hime-chan and Marie-chan have their own quality sibling time together so that we don't interrupt Ken's more urgent business," Yuuko said, suddenly appearing beside Megumi and giving me a subtle wink. I didn't really appreciate that I was giving out the wrong signal, but what the heck. The end justifies the means. At least for now. To further make her point, she began gently ushering Hime and her so-called sister out of the shop. "Alright, get on with the shopping before it gets late, you two."

Another wink from Yuuko. Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into.

* * *

"So, what was it that we were supposed to do?"

Megumi and I were sitting at the park, munching on some snacks that we had obtained before leaving Yuuko's lunch shop. I spent a moment gazing at the tranquillity of the river, thinking about the sort of excuse I was going to use. I had nothing.

A new strategy was called for – when all else fails, deflect a question with a question. "Megumi… have you noticed anything strange about the past couple of days here?"

"What kind of strange things?"

"For example, me appearing out of nowhere, claiming to be from another world. Then Hime's long lost sister shows up. And what about Marisu? How did you come to know her? Was she the same like Marie and me?"

"I don't know if I could call you all strange. After all, a lot has been happening ever since I met Hime and Blue and became a Precure." Megumi smiled softly, probably reminiscing all of Hime's awkward moments trying to approach and befriend her. "As for Marisu, she appeared one day and helped me and Fortune defeat a powerful general."

That powerful general could only mean one thing. "Phantom?"

Megumi nodded. It made sense. Phantom, nicknamed the Precure Hunter, was the most powerful general amongst the four main Phantom Empire generals. To have Marisu swoop in and save the day at that point in time would certainly be an effective and timely dramatic entrance that served to earn their trust.

Then she dropped her smile and looked right into my very soul, or at least that's how it felt. "How do you know so much about us anyway? Are you one of those sleazy reporter types looking for a scoop? Are you trying to out-scoop Mass Communication?"

Oh, her. Nicknamed Mass Communication, Masuko Miyo was a news anchor and reporter who came to Pikarigaoka in order to learn the identities of the Happiness Charge Precure team, who at that time only consisted of Megumi, Hime and Yuuko. She turned out to be a decent person in the end who just wanted to support the Precures in their fight against the Phantom Empire. But for Megumi to think that I'm in this for a scoop? That went south rather quickly.

"No," I answered. "I'm absolutely not a reporter at all. Besides, I've already said that I come from another world. How would an off-world reporter even benefit from this sort of scoop?"

She deadpanned. I deadpanned right back at her. Perhaps that wasn't the best course of action, because it had become a staring contest between us to see who would blink first. Seriously, I don't know how why I keep ending up in weird situations like this. Then the jolt of a distant explosion saved me from any awkward conclusion that would have come out of this.

"It came from the shopping district," Megumi concluded after staring in the direction of the blast.

"Let's go!"

* * *

The shopping district was in utter chaos. People were running down the streets in panic. A child was crying, standing alone on the street and ignored by the rest of the crowd. Megumi was about to run up to the child when Seiji beat her to the little boy and pulled him towards safety.

"I'll handle the evacuation. You should hurry on ahead."

Megumi nodded at her childhood friend and sprinted onwards. Seiji then looked at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to be there." Without waiting for Seiji's response, I quickly ran after Megumi.

As we approached ground zero, signs of corruption began to manifest. Oversized bits and pieces of cakes and candies jutted out of the nearby buildings like cancerous growths invading the healthy portions of Pikarigaoka. This was most definitely the work of Hosshiwa. The sweets general, obsessed with all manner of unhealthy junk food, commanded Saiarks that corrupted the city with cakes and candy. Again, this whole notion sounded very silly indeed, but that didn't negate the fact that the Saiark involved could still turn an ordinary human into paste in a single punch. I made a mental note to stay clear of Saiarks.

We soon reached the centre of the shopping district and caught sight of the gigantic Saiark swinging shopping bags wildly in the air while Cure Princess flew around it, making sure to stay out of its range. The Phantom Empire general, Hosshiwa, sat cross-legged at a makeshift tea table across the street, lazily overseeing the battle while she enjoyed a portion of cake.

The Saiark itself wore a pink scarf, labelling it as Hosshiwa's. It carried several shopping bags in its hand, no doubt the result of the general entrapping a hapless shopping addict here. It used these bags as bludgeons, attempting to swat Cure Princess out of the sky. Swooping back and out of its range, she started rapidly punching into the air with both her fists. In doing so, dozens of magical blue bullets formed and launched themselves towards the Saiark. They splashed onto the Saiark like raindrops, but aside from making it look rather irritated the bullets had not made any lasting impact.

Megumi held out her _PreChanMirror_, the device that allows a girl to transform into her Pretty Cure form, in her hand and was about to activate it when she hesitated. We spotted another Precure entering the battle and fighting alongside Cure Princess.

This newcomer was attired almost similar to Cure Princess which included her black corset, blue skirt and white accents, except that her Cure form had more sparkly silver bits. She wielded a small wand with a blue heart-shaped gem at the tip. Gesturing towards the Saiark in a twirling, circular motion, sparkles of silver and blue light shot out from the wand and washed over the Saiark. The attack pushed the enormous creature back, giving Cure Princess an opening to make a move. By activating a small bracer with a heart-shaped gem on her left hand, the _LovePreBrace_ generated a globe of blue energy with a ring around it. Swinging her fist in a circular motion, Princess punched the manifestation of her power and launched it towards the Saiark. Engulfed by her purification attack, the Saiark soon dissolved into nothing and was defeated.

Once again, the Phantom Empire general spat out some crude remarks before teleporting away. The battlefield gradually began to magically restore itself once all traces of the enemy had gone.

We approached Cure Princess and the newcomer. Princess reverted to her civilian form, Hime, while the newcomer revealed herself as no other than Marie, Hime's sister.

Megumi looked star struck. "Marie-chan is a Precure?"

She nodded. "I'm Cuuuuuuuuure Sparkle!" She said it with so much enthusiasm, topping it off with a leap into the air with her right fist raised towards the heavens.

I facepalmed, sighed, rolled eyes and used every other expression one would expect for such a scenario. Well of course Marie is a Pretty Cure. Why wouldn't she be? Why would any random stranger that suddenly appeared in this world claiming to be someone's long lost sister _not_ be a Pretty Cure? Nothing surprised me now. Absolutely nothing.

Marie wrapped one arm around Hime and extended her other hand towards us, giving Megumi the 'v' sign for victory. I resisted the urge to gag, while Marie tried her best to ignore me.

* * *

Dinner at The Embassy was a little more crowded than yesterday. To be more specific, dinner was one person more than yesterday. Yes, poor little homeless Marie-chan has joined Team Happiness Charge and was staying here now, and again it was decided that this was something to celebrate about. Hence dinner. Again. Honestly, I'm not surprised at all by this sudden development. As I have said before, absolutely nothing surprised me now. But in a way, I suppose it was a good thing for her to be here. I could keep an eye on her, though at the same time I was also glad that she wasn't just adjacent or anywhere within an arm's length of my room.

Oh, and did I mention that dinner itself was awkward? In addition to Marie's boundless energy that could surpass even the most enthusiastic _Genki Girl_ in animedom, she was constantly trying to affectionately feed Megumi, who kept shying away from each spoonful, seemingly rather embarrassed by her advances. Marie was also recounting her exploits from her supposed homeland, the Dark Sea Kingdom, where she went on adventures on great ships fighting off monsters and pirates as Cure Sparkle. In her own words, she was the "sparkle of light and glimmer of hope over the dark waters." And I'm a monkey's uncle, was something that I had to resist adding to it.

One good thing came out of this though. It was very good motivation to quickly finish dinner and get away from the table as quickly as humanly possible. She had begun to boast about her great exploits fighting the Phantom Empire when I took my leave and headed straight into the kitchen to clean my own plate. My ears wanted no part in whatever stories she still had to tell.

Later that night, I was gazing out into the night sky on the balcony when I felt the presence of someone approaching. Without looking back, I had guessed that it was Iona and her fairy partner, Glasan. For a moment we just stood there, gazing at the stars and enjoying the peace and quiet that night brought. Finally, Iona decided to speak. "Did you learn anything new about Marisu?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "Say, Hikawa-san…"

"You can call me Iona."

"Iona, what do you think about Marie?"

"She's quite the enthusiastic one, I'll admit, but I'm guessing that's not exactly what you're asking." She waited for my nod before continuing. "She seems quite suspicious to appear out of nowhere and so easily join the team."

"You think so too, huh?" I continued gazing into the abyss. It was a clear sky tonight, so we could see the night sky in its full glory. "What about you, Glasan?"

"I don't remember ever hearing about her," the little fairy replied as she floated onto the balcony railings and made herself comfortable on the flat, concrete frame. "She could have been sent to the Dark Sea Kingdom before I knew of her, but now there is no way to confirm her story. At least not until we can retake the Blue Sky Kingdom from Queen Mirage and the Phantom Empire one day. Then we can ask the head Librarian or search the royal archives to learn more about her."

I sighed out in relief. "At least I've got someone on my side. Everyone else seems head-over-heels over the new girl."

"Don't misunderstand, though," Iona said, her tone stern and direct. "I think you are suspicious too."

"You wouldn't be you if you were too trusting," I replied. "But I think I'm glad."

"How so?" Iona turned to study and judge me by my response.

"You wouldn't be you if you had just trusted me, or the new girl, just like that. At least I know that I can still trust you to act rationally when it comes to dealing with people like Marie and me. To be blunt, Megumi's too trusting and Yuuko is probably too kind. Hime doesn't seem to trust me and hasn't opened up to me yet."

"I don't trust you too, remember?"

"I know. But at least I can still talk to you and know that you will reply honestly."

"You're a strange one," she said. Glasan nodded in agreement.

We continued watching the stars for a little bit longer before Iona turned to leave. "I should join the others. You should get some rest."

"Thanks."

"For what this time?"

"I'm glad that we could have his conversation."

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

The chapter title, _There's something about Marie_, is a reference to the movie _There's Something About Mary_ starring Cameron Diaz.

Marie's accounts of her exploits on pirate ships in the Dark Sea Kingdom is a reference to the cartoon _Pirates of Dark Water_.


	4. Three's Company

**Chapter 4: Three's Company**

Day three, and I am still an outsider stuck in this fictional world where magical girls transform and fight invaders from another dimension. At least that's the gist of it.

The order of the day was washing dishes and cutting potatoes for Yuuko's parents at their lunch shop, Omori Gohan. I did mention that I had to earn my keep for the duration of my stay, so here I was. Earning my keep.

It wasn't a very pleasant experience though, and by that I do not mean that working for Yuuko's parents was unpleasant. It was meant in the context that I had to constantly keep looking over my shoulder, hoping that Marie wasn't about to stab me in the back with that sharp knife of hers. She was also working here in the kitchen, currently cutting onions, and most likely fuming about it too. It was all my fault, and I am proud of it.

The night before, we had all been discussing details about Marie's accommodations along with my employment. I decided to become a helper at Yuuko's lunch shop. At least I was with a familiar face, and a Pretty Cure too if anything involving Phantom Empire generals and Saiarks were to happen. At the same time, I had casually thrown out the suggestion that Marie should also get some work done, if not only to help orient her with the ways of the world. It was a very convenient arrangement. I could keep my eye on Marie and she was prevented from harassing Megumi. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she wouldn't be so fond of such an arrangement, and yet had no way to back out without keeping up her beaming pretence with the rest of the group.

Time passed us quickly and before we knew it, it was lunch and the place was packed. This meant that we had to work harder, nonstop, until this flurry of activity was over. I threw some quick glances to see how Marie was doing; she was now busy chopping spring onions and looked like she could still go on for hours. Chalk it up as one of the perks of being a magical girl.

We had our break immediately after the flurry of lunch activities ended. Then it was back to work again for another couple of hours before our shift was finally over. It was also about time that the rest of the girls had left school. I found myself wondering if they would drop by for a snack.

"Hey, you!"

I was taken by surprise. I hadn't noticed Marie coming to sit at the opposite end of the table. Her gaze felt like it was about to burn a hole in my forehead, boring its way through it and out the back.

"Something on my face?"

She deadpanned, clearly unamused by my quip. "Stop getting in my way."

"Sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about," I said, feigning ignorance.

"You know what I mean, if you know what's good for you."

"Is that a threat?" I leaned forward on the table and looked her straight in the eye. "What's in it for you anyway?"

"That's none of your business." She averted her eyes, staring at random things around us. Clearly she was uninterested in carrying on this conversation any further.

"Hey all!" We heard Megumi's voice, but I had already felt her presence – the sheer, overwhelming aura of happiness – before she had even spoken.

Marie's serious and gloomy expression immediately shifted to a bright, beaming one. "Megumi-chan!" She began waving enthusiastically like a kid on Christmas day. Seriously, enough of this sugar-coated act.

I did my best to muster up a smile, then turned around to greet Megumi and company.

She was with Seiji, Hime, Yuuko, Ribbon and another stranger. Blonde and well-endowed, this girl seemed to continually glance at us nervously while constantly keeping her hands close to her chest. Seiji had to casually usher her towards us, otherwise she would have just froze and stood there at the entrance for eternity. An immediate, overwhelming sense of dread and déjà vu washed over me. Remember the time I said that nothing would surprise me? I take that back. This is getting more and more ridiculous, and I wasn't sure how long this was going to keep up.

The group took their seats around the table, while Seiji helped usher the newcomer into a chair. Yuuko went over to the counter to grab an apron. I guess she was going to be our waitress.

I really, really did not want to go through this, but I mentally forced myself to. "So Sagara-san, who's your friend?"

"This is my cousin, Mari. Mari, this is Ken."

"H- Hello. My- my name's Sugimoto Mari. P-pleased to meet you," she said, stuttering all the way. She was blushing throughout the whole exchange.

I returned her greeting for the sake of formality, before turning my attention to Seiji. "I didn't know that you had a cousin here?"

"She's from a distant relative. She spent most of her childhood in Europe but followed her parents to Pikarigaoka on some business. My parents volunteered me to keep her company during her stay here."

Miss Sugimoto hurriedly nodded along with Seiji's explanation. I quickly turned around, unable to resist rolling my eyes but not wanting to insult Seiji or the others at the same time. "Sorry, I thought I saw something back there. Turned out to be nothing at all."

In the end, nothing particularly interesting happened during that gathering. Everyone exchanged pleasantries, Marie tried to smother herself on Megumi, Hime kept avoiding eye contact with me, and Miss Sugimoto was as stiff as a zombie, staring at her feet for the entire duration of the conversation except when prompted to by her cousin.

We soon left the premises, waving goodbye to Yuuko and promising to meet up later at The Embassy. Miss Sugimoto was coming along too, apparently. Well, of course she was coming along and I didn't even bother to question it. I was pretty sure that she had a completely valid reason to be tagging along with the rest of us like we were all part of one big, close-knit group already. I nearly choked on those thoughts afterwards.

My mind wandered a little as we walked, and thought about Marisu. I haven't seen her all day, but had just come to realise something that was off about her. Her _modus operandi_ wasn't quite the same as these other two newcomers, who have quickly integrated into the group as soon as they introduced themselves. Marisu, on the other hand, was still operating independently, and hadn't made any attempt to join us. In fact, it seemed like she was distancing herself from everyone. Finally, she seemed to know something about me that she wasn't telling. I made a mental note to question her more when we meet again.

* * *

We arrived at The Embassy without incident. I was mildly amused that we did not encounter any unexpected explosions, Saiarks or some other random spectacle, followed by a dramatic reveal of Miss Sugimoto being another Pretty Cure and then taking centre stage to defeat the enemy there and then. Why have I become so cynical all of a sudden?

As we all reached the front entrance and awaited our turn to enter, I caught a flicker of movement at the corner of my eye. I thought I saw a figure lurk under a tree across the road, but now it was gone. Curious indeed.

"Are you coming in, Ken?"

"In a minute," I answered. I scanned the trees again, but there was no longer anything to find. I sighed and made my way inside.

"E- Everyone! I- I have s-something to s-say!" Miss Sugimoto continued to stutter nervously as she tried to address us.

Blue, Iona and Glasan were already in the living room with the rest of us when Miss Sugimoto had decided to make her unannounced speech. I quietly let out another sigh, uninterested with this spectacle and silently made my way to the stairs.

"I'm Cure Twilight and I would like to join the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team!"

I stopped and froze for a moment, but quickly regained my composure, made a conscious effort to roll my eyes and then continued my way up the stairs and towards my room. I was about halfway up when I heard a pair of footsteps behind me, so I changed my mind and veered towards the balcony instead.

"A third one. Things are getting more interesting, don't you think?"

"I really don't have any words for this," Iona replied as she came up to the balcony beside me. Glasan soon floated up alongside her.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know." She looked down and slowly shook her head, placing a hand on her chest. "All I have are feelings of suspicion, that all of this feels somehow not right, but I have nothing concrete to support them."

Glasan floated up to reach her head and patted her. "Are you all right, Iona?"

"I'm fine, Glasan. I'm just a little overwhelmed with all the things that happened recently. I thought that once I had joined the team, we could all train and become stronger together, but all of a sudden there are so many complications."

Glasan could only look down and continue to comfort her partner.

I remembered Marie's threat earlier today. Iona could be useful here. "Say Iona… If I were in danger, would you protect me?"

Iona turned to stare at me with a puzzled look, her brow furrowed. "What kind of question is that?"

"Sorry?"

"As long as you aren't the enemy, I would protect anyone in this city from harm," she replied with a most stern and serious expression.

"I guess that means you've got my back, huh?"

"Oh please don't try and thank me again," she replied, and I had half-expected it anyway. By now, she would have been clued in to my habit of randomly thanking her from out of nowhere. "I'm tired. I need to get some rest so that I can have a clear head to think properly about this."

Iona turned to go and Glasan followed behind her, leaving me to my thoughts.

I spent some more time gazing into the starry sky before deciding to go back in. By now, everyone seemed to have left for home and Marie was probably in her room as well. I was about to retire to my room when I heard the creak of a door downstairs. Simply out of curiosity, I crept down and to have a peek. The kitchen door was slightly ajar, so I snuck down, went past the empty living room and crept towards the kitchen. Peeking through the narrow slit, it seemed that Miss Sugimoto was still up and about, and was apparently making tea. She poured the results of her efforts into a little teacup across the table, seemingly all nervous about it. "I… I hope you like my tea, Blue-sama."

I involuntarily swallowed, and proceeded to choke over my own saliva going down the wrong channel. Miss Sugimoto and Blue were obviously alerted to my hacking cough, so I quickly rushed in and towards the kitchen sink, taking great effort to pretend that I haven't noticed them as I took a gulp of cool water. Satisfied that my feint had worked, I turned around and jerked backward a little, indicating surprise. "Oh, I didn't notice the two of you."

Blue smiled and eyed me curiously while Miss Sugimoto's extremely shy demeanour turned into a glare, though it was clear to me that she had stepped back a little behind Blue to make sure that her change of expression went unnoticed. "I just came down for some water. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" I asked.

"No, not at all," Blue answered. "We were just having some tea. Would you care to join us?"

"Tea? This late at night?" Seriously, who does such a thing? "I think I'll pass. I need to get some sleep later, after all."

Blue let out a faint chuckle as he took a sip from the teacup. "You're right, of course. Sugimoto-san here was just experimenting with a new flavour, and wanted me to be the first to have a go at it." He turned around to face Miss Sugimoto. "It tastes good."

Miss Sugimoto beamed at him, completely ignoring my presence this time. "Thank you so much, Blue-sama!" she exclaimed, like an overexcited child receiving a compliment.

I rolled my eyes for the _n_-th time today and decided that enough was enough. "Well, I'm off to bed. It's getting late, and I suggest Sugimoto-san do the same. We wouldn't people to worry now, would we?"

"Ken's right. It's about time you went home," Blue said.

Miss Sugimoto gave him a courteous bow before leaving, but not before throwing what looked like a menacing glare in my direction as she left the kitchen. I waited to make sure that she was really out of the house before I took my leave also, and retired to my room.

* * *

**Author's Note**: In the original draft, I referred to Mari as "Mari", but as it turns out, "Marie and Mari" will become an incredibly awkward phrase, so pre-emptively using "Miss Sugimoto" seems better.

_Three's Company_ is the name of an American sitcom.

The distant cousin, just like the long-lost sibling, is a warning sign that the character may be a Mary Sue.

Sagara Seiji's voice actor in the Pretty Cure anime is _Kanemoto Ryosuke_; Mari's family name is also a "moto" but changed to "Sugimoto" to maintain the hidden Mary Sue homophone.

When Cure Twilight and Cure Sparkle combine, they form _Twilight Sparkle_! No, just kidding, but it is a Pony reference and their Cure names were chosen deliberate for this purpose. Yes, I'm a shallow person, thank you.


	5. The Phantom Menace

**Chapter 5: The Phantom Menace**

"Sai-ark!"

Today was most certainly not my day. I would have been content if I were just threatened by Marie again at Omori Gohan, or even if yet another long lost sister or cousin appeared out of nowhere to join the team. But no, because of all things that could go wrong today, I got to be chased by a Saiark.

"Sai-ark!"

That's the battle cry of a Saiark as it pursued me through town. I weaved in and out of the multitude of streets and alleyways of Pikarigaoka, not really sure where I was going as I randomly made snap decisions at each turn. The incredibly loud and obvious stomping of the Saiark, intermingled with the occasional crashing of concrete and rubble, was an overt reminder of the mortal danger that I was in, though I didn't have the nerve to look back and see just how close it was.

It would have only been a small matter if it was just about me being chased by a lone Saiark. But no, things are much, much worse. The entire town was crawling with Saiarks and I just happened to be unlucky enough to catch the attention of one while the Pretty Cures were busy dealing with countless others. The situation was such that I couldn't reliably count on anyone to show up to get this Saiark off my back, so I was left running around like a headless chicken, hoping to find a hole in which to crawl under and hide.

The day itself started very routinely enough. Routine work with Marie, while attempting to survive her murderous gazes in the kitchen at Omori Gohan, was supposed to be the order of the day. Things had changed all of a sudden when a terrible, hateful sensation washed over me. It was very peculiar and hard to describe; one moment you're thinking happy thoughts and the next, something inside is urging you to hate everything you see for some irrational, inexplicable reason or other. The sensation only lasted moments as an almost-physical wave of terribleness coursed through the store and, most likely, then entire town of Pikarigaoka. In the blink of an eye, all the customers at Omori Gohan had become trapped in dark mirrors, and the streets outside were populated by Saiarks. That was not a good thing at all. The one time I recall this happen in canon, Phantom, the Precure Hunter, had come to town.

There was a brief flash of light behind me. I turned just in time to spot Marie, having transformed into her Pretty Cure form, dash out through the back door. I considered rushing out after her, but decided that my well-being was more important than mere curiosity. There were numerous giant monstrosities outside, after all. I'd have to trust the Happiness Charge team to handle this situation, and hoped that the three outsiders would not interfere. Ideally I'd be out there policing the trio, making sure that the timeline doesn't get derailed further by their actions, but that's really out of the question when the equivalent of man-crushing predators are prowling the streets.

A familiar sensation pricked my curiosity, like the feeling of someone watching you from afar. I wheeled around to catch a glimpse of a figure outside Omori Gohan, across the road. I could be wrong, but I swore it was the same person I had seen outside The Embassy the day before, and this time the figure seemed to be staring right at me. Noticing my returned gaze, it quickly ducked behind a corner and disappeared from my field of view. Did I just earn myself a stalker? As if I didn't already have enough on my plate to deal with!

Throwing caution to the wind, I rushed out of the building and sprinted straight towards the spot where the figure had been watching me. Around the corner, I caught yet another glimpse of the figure dash across and into an alleyway. I took a deep breath and continued my pursuit. I wasn't going to let this stranger out of my sight this time!

I reached the end of the alleyway and turned to where I thought the figure had gone, only to come to an abrupt stop. I had nearly bumped into a wandering Saiark. My heart must have skipped a beat there and then, while my legs took over without my conscious input. I slowly backed away, quietly creeping into the alley and completely forgetting about pursuing my stalker. Then a loud crash completely tossed all my efforts into the wind. I must have tripped over a garbage can as I was backing away, but that was now the least of my concerns. The Saiark began to turn around to find the cause of the commotion. I did not wait for that to happen; I scrambled to my feet and ran, and this is how I ended up in my present predicament.

* * *

A loud thunderous boom followed by the familiar sound of crumbling masonry reminded me that the Saiark was still close behind, while my legs were starting to give way to fatigue. I stumbled across another intersection and nearly crashed into an overturned garbage can as I picked another random direction to run.

I took another corner and found myself staring at the familiar open park when a strong wind brushed across my face. A figure must have darted past me and began engaging the Saiark that was pursuing me. A sense of security came over me as I slowed down, turned and curiously took stock of the situation. It was Cure Crimson, battling the confused Saiark and delivering a flurry of physical punishment that sent the creature stumbling backwards.

A quick scan of my surroundings revealed no signs of nearby Saiarks, beside the one that Crimson was beating down. Across the river, something darted across the cityscape, followed by another, and then another. Soon, a giant four leaf clover-shaped manifestation came crashing down from the heavens. I recognised that was the signature finisher of Cure Honey, and came to the conclusion that the Happiness Charge Precure team was fighting somewhere across the river, and some unfortunate Saiark had just been at the receiving end of that orbital strike.

The sounds of battle from behind came to an abrupt end. I glanced around the corner and could no longer spot Cure Crimson nor the Saiark. Having been left alone again, I considered my choices – either sneak back to Omori Gohan and hide there until the invasion was eventually stopped, or try to get across the river and join up with the Happiness Charge crew. It took but a moment to decide on the latter option.

* * *

The river that ran across Pikarigaoka wasn't very wide, relatively speaking, but it was still too wide to safely swim across. The sane option would be to cross the bridge. However, that would leave me wide open if I were to be spotted while halfway across. Held back by that dilemma, I crouched behind an overturned park bench to keep a low profile and consider my two options.

The first option was to sprint across the bridge. Knowing my physical limits, I should be able to cross quickly but if I came across any sort of trouble, I may not have enough vigour to handle yet another mad, sustained pursuit. The second option was a more exciting one, if this were an 80's action adventure movie. It involved sneaking across the river from underneath the bridge, using whatever foothold and support that was available to carry me across. It was a very tempting choice, actually; it was more daring and may actually be safer from a practical point of view. But I had no experience sneaking under bridges, and wouldn't know what to do if I actually fell into the river. So the only realistic option was to simply dash across and hope for the best. Saiarks are often silly enough to give you a warning with their battle cries, so at least I'd get a reasonable head start if I were spotted halfway across.

Having made my decision, I cautiously crept across the open area of the park, keeping to a lower profile to reduce visibility. Whenever there were shrubs or similar obstacles I would travel along them. This was a lot taxing than I had anticipated, but it sure beats running for dear life! That was spoken too soon, as the brushes nearby suddenly trembled while the ground shook. I instantly froze, holding my breath in the process. There was a crunching sound, followed by more rustling of leaves. That familiar, _terrible_ sensation washed over me as a Saiark came very, very close to my hiding spot. I dared to take a peek.

"Sai-ark!"

I nearly jumped, terrified by the loud battle cry of the Saiark. There was a loud thud, followed by a series of quick taps. I peeked over the brush again. Cure Fortune had engaged the Saiark, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at it until it lost its balance and fell over. Glasan cheered her on from the sidelines. She raised her arms, calling forth a purple star over her head and then hurled this magical projectile at the Saiark. The creature was engulfed in a magical purple glow, whimpering as it faded away, purified by Fortune's finisher.

I was about to get up and call out to her, but we were interrupted by another battle cry. Several more Saiarks had crawled out of the woodwork some distance away. Cure Fortune sped ahead to deal with the new arrivals while Glasan cautiously followed behind. Soon, they both disappeared around a corner, though I could still hear the sounds of battle as Fortune engaged the enemy in furious melee.

A spark of realisation hit me. This was a very important turning point in canon. Cure Fortune would soon meet Phantom, the Precure Hunter and he would lure her into a trap. Assuming the canon timeline is still preserved, Glasan would then find the other Precures and rush to Fortune's aid together. However, with so many monkey wrenches thrown into the timeline, I wasn't certain if things would still turn out the way they should. If only I could pre-empt the event by finding the Precures sooner and alert them of Fortune's fate. They should just be somewhere across the bridge; if I didn't tarry I might still be able to find them based on Cure Honey's orbital strike earlier.

Thanks to Cure Fortune, the path was now clear so I quickly dashed across the park, all the while keeping my head low and my posture hunched. I reached the bridge in a huff. After taking one final look around, I made the quick sprint onto the bridge itself. It would take less than a minute if I maintained my low profile and rapid but soft pace.

Soon enough, I had reached the middle of the bridge. From here, I could see most of the city. It was eerily quiet, punctuated by the occasional boom or crack from a distant fight, often perpetuated by some random beam of light or giant clover from the heavens. Even the sky was bereft of avian life; all the birds must have been frightened away at the beginning of the invasion. In any case, I took another step forward, and felt a tremor as the entire bridge groaned from my footstep.

I froze. That did not make sense at all. Curiously, I took another step forward. Nothing happened this time. On my third step, the bridge shuddered again. "Oh crap," I managed to mutter before the river itself came alive underneath me.

A single but gargantuan Saiark emerged from the depths of the river, rearing itself like a sleeping giant awakening from slumber, and then standing waist-deep in the water and spreading its _terrible_ feelings all around. It lazily turned its head left and right like predator scanning for fresh blood. It would soon spot me in the middle of the bridge where I had nowhere to hide, so I had a split second to decide if I should duck or run.

My adrenaline-charged body made the decision for me. I dashed across the remaining half of the bridge, feeling like a world class sprinter about to hit the finishing line. Then the entire bridge shuddered, the ground ahead turning into a cracked pattern of crumpled metal and loose rubble. A beam of metal rose from under my feet like a gigantic springboard, and before I realised what had happened, I was sent flying. I briefly basked in the sensation of hurtling through the air faster than my legs could carry before realising that gravity had already begun taking hold.

The landing was fast and brutal. I only managed to register pain, tumbling, pain, vertigo, more pain and a sudden collision that knocked the wind right out of me. I instinctively curl up into a ball and tried to protect my head with both hands. Everything flashed red, the stinging sensation of pain forcing tears out of my tightly-shut eyes.

I don't know how long I had laid there. It felt like an eternity. Then something grab hold of me by the collar. I was hefted up with both legs dangling in the air. Two soft hands wrapped themselves around my neck. The weight of my lower body began to pull down on my head and neck. My hands instinctively wrapped themselves around the soft hands of my assailant, desperately trying to fight against the ever-tightening grip but to no avail. Whoever it was, it – no, she – was surprisingly strong. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Without warning, my assailant loosed her grip and dropped me. I began hearing voices. Some of them might even be calling out my name, but it was too indistinct to register. In fact, everything became too indistinct, and I had no recollection of what happened after that because everything turned black.

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

If you haven't figured it out already, _The Phantom Menace_ is the title of the _Star Wars Episode I_ movie.


	6. Missed Opportunities

**Chapter 6: Missed Opportunities**

In the darkness of my dreams, an infinite landscape of coloured stalks snaked around each other, ending with a shining light. They were like a sea of fibre optic cables, swaying to the ether like seaweed in the vast ocean floor. Each stalk constantly grew, as though alive, becoming longer as time passed. Once in a while one would split into two, and then both branches would continue growing on their own. Sometimes a stalk appeared to die, its entire length dissipating in a shower of colourful lights.

I found myself swaying to the unseen eddies of the world, going left, right, forward and back to the rhythm of the waves that commanded the endless light stalks. I felt like _I_ was shining brightly, like a blooming flower ready to see the world, ready to take flight and leave my roots behind, ready to flow with the etheric eddies and become one with them, only to be pulled back by some unseen hands. I struggled to press forward, only to be sucked back into my own light, still shining brightly as it devoured me and left my world a blinding white and endless horizon.

I slowly opened my eyes. As my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit surroundings, I began to recognise the ceiling and the warm sheets that covered me. I turned and saw the familiar wooden study desk and the plain white chair that was pushed in tidily. I was back in my room at The Embassy.

There was a bowl on top of the desk. It was covered and a soup soon lay neatly on top. I turned to my side and tried to push myself up, only to be greeted by a sharp and stabbing pain in my abdomen. I slumped back in bed before noticing that I was half naked and covered in bandages.

The door creaked. The familiar face of Omori Yuuko peered through the small gap of the open door. A smile formed on her lips when she saw me. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. "You're finally awake."

I tried to force myself up again, this time using both hands as leverage to push my half-limp body up. The pain was still crippling and my arm muscles faltered, buckling under the weight of my body. Yuuko rushed forward and caught me with one hand, and then gently ushered me down again. "Don't try to get up yet. Your body hasn't fully recovered."

"What happened?"

"There'll be plenty of time to talk about that later," she said as she pulled the chair out and took a seat beside me. "Can you eat?"

"I think so," I said as I propped myself up with my elbows. "Can you help me up?"

Yuuko got up and grabbed a pair of pillows that lay at my feet. After tucking them behind my back, she reached over to uncover the bowl and proceeded to stir the contents using the soup spoon.

"I think I can help myself." I reached out, gesturing towards the bowl.

"Be careful, it's still a little warm." Yuuko carefully placed the bowl in my outstretched hands, and once I had the bowl of broth in a comfortable position she handed me the spoon.

"Thanks."

"It's my pleasure." She eagerly watched as I took my first mouthful.

The warm but sweet broth tasted like sweet nectar in my food-starved mouth. "It's delicious."

She beam with happiness, and probably pride too, at the compliment.

As I continued to swallow the next spoonful, I realised how hungry I was and took quicker mouthfuls. It had dawned to me that I must have not eaten for a very, very long time. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Yuuko's brows furrowed and her lips pursed as she observed my reaction to her answer.

I sighed and took a few more mouthfuls of her delicious broth before continuing. "Where are the others?"

"Don't worry," she began as she clasped both her hands together. "They're all out on a training camp."

I felt a pain in my heart, as if I had did something terribly wrong. This training camp was meant for the four of them. Now, instead of being with her friends, Yuuko was here nursing me to health instead. It was a major failure on my part. This time, the continued deviation in the timeline was entirely my fault.

"What's wrong?"

I was at loss for words. I stared blankly at the broth and proceeded to finish it before handing the empty bowl back to Yuuko, avoiding eye contact as I did. "I'm sorry. Thanks for the meal though."

She tilted her head to one side, eyeing me curiously. "Why are you apologising to me?"

I sighed again and continued to avoid eye contact, staring blankly at my toes. "You should have been there with your friends. Instead, you're here wasting time on me." The fact of the matter is, _I_ could have been at the training camp with the group if all this hadn't happened. I could do with some intensive training of my own; if anything, my recent experience proved how physically unfit I was to survive in this world.

What I said seemed to elicit a chuckle out of Yuuko. "Is that what you're feeling so glum about?" She paused for a moment as her answer attracted my attention. "Don't think so lowly of yourself. You've been working hard to help us all, haven't you? You're concerned about Megumi and the others, and are worried if the newcomers have other ulterior motives in joining our group. I could see it the first time you tried to get Megumi away from Marie, and I can see that you and Iona have come to some sort of understanding concerning this matter."

I was genuinely surprised. My jaw could have just dropped and rolled off the bed.

"You should be getting your rest. Don't worry about the others; Iona is watching over them so please focus on getting better. We can discuss this again after everyone's back."

"Thanks. But there's just one more thing I need to ask."

"What is it? And what's wrong with your neck?"

I hadn't realised that I was unconsciously rubbing the side of my neck all this while. She was indeed quick to notice. "Who was it that found me and brought me back here, and was there anyone else with me at that time?"

Yuuko pursed her lips and leaned back onto the chair as she gave me question some thought. "Honestly, I was the last to reach you after Megumi and Hime, so I really can't answer your question. You need to wait for them to return from Iona's training camp first. There'll be time for questions and answers then. Now rest; your body needs to heal."

* * *

I woke up the next morning, squinting to the blinding light that was shining through the window of my room. The morning breeze washed over me as I used my hands to cover my eyes. I tried to push myself up again, and to my surprise I could manage to sit up without too much pain this time.

From the corner of my eye, I spied a figure sitting by my side. "Good morning, Yuu-"

I immediately recoiled, probably tearing a few abdominal muscles in the process when I realised that it wasn't Yuuko who was sitting beside me.

"What the hell did you think you were doing out there?" Marisu glared at me with her red and green eyes, looking like she was about to murder me in some utterly horrible and painful way. "What were you hoping to achieve, running around in the open like that?"

"I'm… I'm sorry." I don't really know why I was even apologising to her. It just felt natural, like a fleeting sense of _something_ that I couldn't really put together.

"You're sorry? I bet you're sorry! You're so sorry and so beaten up now, you might as well have just died out there!" Her chest heaved with each slow and laborious draw of breath, while her burning gaze never left me. "What am I supposed to do with you now?"

"I… I really don't know."

She took a step towards me, and I quickly shuffled back, only to realise that I still can't move properly, let alone budge and inch and get away if I needed to. "What are you planning to do?"

The door to my room creak open again. We both turned our attention to it. The familiar face of Yuuko peeked through. "Is everything alright?"

Marisu immediately got up and, without saying a word, calmly strode towards the window.

Yuuko, realising the presence of the intruder, barged into the room. Marisu nonchalantly hopped out of the window, changed into her Cure form and flew away before Yuuko could reach her. She rushed over to the window and looked outside. She was there for a moment, before reclining back in and shutting it tight, remembering to draw the curtains in tidily. "Are you alright? What did she want?"

"I'm alright. She just wanted to talk… I think." We lost eye contact again. I didn't know why I had to feel so inferior to her, as if I have let everyone down. But I remembered what she said yesterday, and that made me look up again. "Thanks for taking care of me, Omori-san."

She chuckled. "You don't have to be so formal around me."

"Right. Thanks, Yuuko. I really appreciate everything that you've done."

* * *

Days passed by uneventfully. In fact, due to me being bedridden for the entirety, I completely lost track of time. My only clue that a significant amount of time had passed was the fact that everyone had returned from the training camp and taken the time to see how I was doing.

I didn't manage to learn much about the battle. From what I had gathered, events had mostly gone ahead according to canon, with the glaring exception of Cure Fortune's encounter with Phantom. In this broken timeline, she had teamed up with Cure Crimson and beaten back Phantom without being lured into the Precure Graveyard. Shortly after that, Cure Lovely, Princess and Honey found me lying unconscious and alone by the broken bridge along the riverside. No one saw a thing and I was nowhere close to finding out who my assailant was.

It was late evening when a knock on the door interrupted my train of thought. Before I could answer, the door opened and a familiar face peeked through the opening, sending a chill down my spine. It was Marie. My heart raced; I couldn't tell what she had in mind. After all, she was the one who openly made the threat to my life back at Omori Gohan. If she was here to finish the deed, I probably wouldn't stand a chance against her superhuman physique.

"Here to finish the job?" I said, half-jokingly while straining to maintain a friendly smile as my mind raced with all sorts of scenarios and outcomes. To be blunt, none of the outcomes turned out to be in my favour.

She stared back with a deadpan expression. After a brief but highly uncomfortable moment of silence, she asked, "what job?"

"Oh, so you weren't the one who tried to kill me?" Kill me now, is what my brain must be screaming at myself. It was like taunting the lion in its own den.

"I see. Looks like you have your hands full." She was about to retreat out of the room, but popped her head back in. "Just a reminder, I have my eye on you."

Was that a threat? I can only assume so. I raised both hands in the air in defeat. "Look. At the state that I am in now, I can't lay a finger on a single thing, okay?"

"Fair enough." She slinked back out of the room, shutting the door behind her. I was left wondering what that was all about.

* * *

I started waking up early and doing morning runs. Some people I knew from my past would have laughed; fortunately I was in a different world now and the people here – my friends – are supportive of this activity. At the very least, it helped me keep in shape after recovering from my injuries.

Today, I had decided to try a different route. The usual route would have me run along the river. That is the usual route that Seiji and Yuuko would take. However, I wasn't interested in the familiar, downtrodden path this time. My earlier experience from Phantom's invasion taught me that I had to familiarise myself with the ins and outs town, so I intended to explore the place as an added experience while participating in my daily routine. Kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.

I picked up a couple of odd looks as I ran through some parts of town; who in the right mind runs in and out of alleyways during a morning jog, after all. I made a mental note to ignore them; you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, after all. In fact, I recognised a few landmarks as I jogged around town. I noticed some of the streets where I had ran past with complete abandon before, under the pursuit of rampaging Saiarks. I decided to turn into some of those alleyways, casually retracing my steps from the days before.

As I turned around what seemed like a familiar corner, something caught my eye that made me stop short and made my heart race. Two familiar individuals turned their heads in my direction – Marie and Miss Sugimoto. The sister and the cousin. I did not like the look on their faces when they recognised me.

"Umm… good morning…?" I waved. It was a feeble wave. More like a whimper of a wave. A poor excuse of a wave. My eyes quickly darted around, taking in my surroundings and noting anything of interest. Anything at all that I could employ in case anything untoward happened, such as violence, dismemberment or death.

"What are you doing here?" Marie continued to glare at me with murderous intent.

"I- isn't it rude to… umm… to spy?" Miss Sugimoto stammered, seemingly nervous yet somehow radiating an aura of intimidation and presence. How is that supposed to even work at all?

"Aah… I was just having my morning run, that's all." That's all true, of course. I wouldn't tell a lie to any lovely lady capable of effortlessly launching me a hundred feet up into the air now, would I? "Fancy meeting you two in a place like this, huh?"

Marie began taking steps in my direction, while Miss Sugimoto nervously inched forward behind her, using Marie as a shield. I can't decide if she's being so pathetic on purpose or if that's a real personality. I froze, curse those feeble legs of mine. My eyes continued darting around more agitatedly, searching for a way out to present itself. Before I realised it, the two of them were already at arm's length from me.

"Umm… a little personal space?" I kind of whimpered. Okay, "kind of" was an understatement. It definitely was a real and true whimper. There's not much else that an ordinary person could do when dangerous, super-powered magical girls were gunning after you with murder on their minds, after all.

"It seems that you are being worried about the wrong people," Marie said, her snarky face inches from my own.

I stared back at her, puzzled.

Miss Sugimoto peeked at me from behind Marie's shoulder. "I- I heard it from h-her," she said, her eyes indirectly gesturing towards Marie. "S-someone tried to… umm… kill you… d-during the Phantom attack?"

My eyes darted between the two. I had a good idea where they were going with this, but I wanted to hear it with their own words.

"In other words…" Marie leaned so close to me, I could almost kiss her. Not that it was the wisest thing to do, so I held back any such thoughts on the matter. "It. Wasn't. Us." She made sure to emphasise every single syllable. She placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle but sure shove, wheeling me around like a toy before sending me off, away from them. It was a most obvious hint that they wanted me to move along and get out of their way. I was in no position to argue, so I left and headed straight back.

* * *

The Embassy was somewhat quiet when I got back. It was still the last few days of the summer holidays, so the girls shouldn't be at school now. I wandered into the kitchen and found it empty. So was the balcony and the front yard. Curious indeed.

Finally I went back to the living room and gave the tall mirror that was propped up to the wall a light knock. I wasn't exactly sure if that's how you knock on the door to a god's private chambers, but it was pointless to think about the appropriateness of the method after the fact.

"Umm… Blue-sama… are you there?"

"How may I help you, Ken?" Blue's voice echoed from beyond the mirror, which began to glow in a pale light. I moved back to give Blue room to step out.

"Where's everyone?"

"They're in Hawaii, helping out fellow Pretty Cures against Saiark invaders."

Oh, right. That event happened, but it slipped my mind due to other thoughts that have been eating at me these past few days. I also realised that I must have missed that bit of drama between Hime and Seiji – another little canon event that's too late to worry about now. All that was left to do was to silently curse my luck. In retrospect, that would have been quite a thing to witness first hand.

"Something seems to be on your mind." Blue eyed me curiously. "Would you like to talk about it?"

I considered his question. I had no idea how he would react if I decided to tell him the truth. On the other hand, he had within his chambers links to other worlds, connected by feelings, so he was at least not a stranger to parallel worlds and even possibly alternate realities. It could be worth a shot, or it could alienate me from one of the most powerful and influential beings in this particular world.

In the end, I chickened out. It was too big a subject to discuss. Instead, I decided to raise another pressing issue to Blue. "Say, Blue-sama… what do you think of the other three girls? Marisu, Marie and Mari." Wow, that was some kind of tongue twister indeed.

"You have a feeling of distrust towards them, I presume."

He was pretty accurate with his conclusion. "Something like that, I guess."

"They have not done anything wrong to earn my distrust," Blue said. I could see where this is going, and prepared myself. "They are Pretty Cure, and I love them all like everyone else in this world." Yep, that's typical ol' Blue-sama talking. He did have a point, though. The three of them were extremely careful with their demeanour around everyone else but me. At least Iona thought some of them seemed quite suspicious, while Yuuko still seemed to be on my side. Sudden appearances of lost siblings and distant cousins isn't something that happens so coincidentally, after all.

In the end, I decided to drop the subject and we continued to talk about small, useless things to pass the time. By evening, the girls had returned from their trip via magic mirror. They did not bring back any souvenirs though.

* * *

The next day, I resumed my morning jog but this time stuck to the regular route. Better to be safe than sorry after yesterday's unpleasant encounter! It was a good day for a run, next to the calm and serene river that runs across Pikarigaoka. Despite the threat of invasion, the people here were genuinely _happy_ and the amount of happiness energy, or whatever you may call it, could be strongly felt throughout the city.

I ended my run in front of Yuuko's lunch shop and went in for a bite. There were a few patrons having a late breakfast, but Yuuko herself wasn't around. However, I spied a familiar blue-haired girl sitting by herself in one corner so I went up to her said greeted her.

"Yo!"

Hime jumped, startled by my casual demeanour as she studied me with her blue eyes. "You scared me, you meanie!"

"I'm sorry," I said in jest. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Oh… stuff… waiting for Megumi and Yuu Yuu."

"I see. May I have a seat?" I glanced at one of the empty chairs at the table.

Seeing her nod, I made myself comfortable and motioned for a cup of coffee. This was followed by an awkward moment of silence, punctuated by the occasional feet-staring contest and random hair twirls. Feeling a little agitated that my coffee hasn't arrived yet, I _tried_ initiating small talk. Note the emphasis on tried.

"So, how are you getting along with your… _sister_?" I just had to do it. Who couldn't resist such a trope, emphasising _sister_ the way Darth Vader did during his confrontation with Luke in the Death Star? It was so appropriate for the situation that I didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Fortunately Hime did not get any of my pop culture reference shenanigans. She's not native to this world, after all. Come to think of it, I wasn't even sure if Star Wars was _a thing_ over in this world – not that it even mattered the slightest bit. "Oh, we're doing fine," she said while nervously throwing quick glances at the door. I guess she still hasn't fully warmed up to me yet.

"Look, if I'm making you feel uncomfortable, I'll leave. Okay?" I tried to casually say that, like it was nothing, just to put her at ease.

"No, no, it's nothing. Nothing at all." It wasn't very convincing at all, with her not making eye contact while saying that.

Time to switch tactics. "Thanks." Yep, the random thanks-out-of-nowhere strategy. It worked before, so why not?

She looked up, puzzled. "Eh?"

"I said thanks. Thank you for looking out for me when Phantom invaded. I know you didn't really do much for me in particular that day, but I can tell that you were still concerned when I got hurt. And I just wanted to thank you for it." That was the limit to the amount of spin that I could spew without choking on my own tongue. I just hoped that Hime didn't take my twitching eyebrow to mean anything more than just a twitchy little muscle at work.

"You're strange," she said at last. "But I guess you're alright. I'm just not used to talking to boys, that's all."

Finally, she had opening up a little, though it still felt a little odd. By this time in the canon timeline, she should have made a good number of friends and have become more comfortable around people like me already. But anyway, at least from here on we could get a bit of small talk going. It also helped that we were both considered foreigners as far as this world is concerned, so we something to relate. We traded questions, me asking about her home while she asked about mine. I didn't really have much to say about home though; compared to the fantastical Blue Sky Kingdom, real life was bland and boring. There were no monsters and no magical girls to fight them, after all.

Speaking of magical girls, I realised that I had digressed. I meant to ask Hime more about her _sister_, as part of my ongoing investigation. So I began with the simple, casual questions first. Like, "where is Marie now?"

"Oh, about. She seems to be getting along very well with Seiji's cousin, so the two of them must be out shopping or something."

"Shopping, huh?" A more observant and genre-savvy person would have detected the sarcasm in me.

"Yeah, the other day Marie-chan got this cute little phone tether for Megumi."

And so most of the conversation went around in this manner. I could tell that Marie, and probably Miss Sugimoto too, were very, very good at keeping their appearances up around the others. But I've seen the other side of them. I knew enough to be extremely wary of them both. I could almost feel like they were plotting something behind my back now. On the other hand, Marisu was still a big mystery. I've never seen the three of them together. In fact, if I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that Marisu was operating independently. I didn't know what she was after, which made her even more dangerous than the other two. Finally, there was the stalker girl, whom in reality could be any one of those three but I wasn't so sure.

"Hello, Earth to Ken."

I looked up and saw Megumi and Yuuko standing beside Hime. "Sorry… I got side-tracked," I said while sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck. "So, what are you girls planning on doing together today?"

"Shopping!" Megumi answered.

"Eating!" Yuuko said, almost in unison.

"Dressing up!" Hime added, contributing to the confusion.

"Eeeh?" the three of them exclaimed, looking at each other in surprise.

I managed to suppress a chuckle. "Well, I'll leave you girls to go about your girly things and I'll be heading back to The Embassy. See ya!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

The Star Wars _sister_ reference was already mentioned, so it is listed here just for the sake of completeness.


	7. Of Monkeys and Wrenches

**Chapter 7: Of Monkeys and Wrenches**

Several days have passed since the summer vacation was over and it was the beginning of another school term for the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team. Besides that, the girls have also begun to prepare for their school's upcoming Culture Festival.

Something felt off and has been bugging me since the day Phantom invaded Pikarigaoka, but I couldn't lay a finger on the specifics and it has been eating at me for an unhealthy amount of time, causing me to lose focus even while I was working at Omori Gohan. I nervously glanced over my shoulder to look out for Marie, out of habit, only to remember that she was no longer there. She had quit her job several days earlier and must probably be out and about, on some nefarious task or other. I haven't been able to check on any of the three girl outsiders nor seen the mysterious stalker recently, and that just made me worry more. I have been slacking and I knew it.

After work, I decided to spend some time at the park to clear my mind and think things through. I was going nowhere fast, while my enemies continued to plot. For all I know, they might have already been executing their master plan, and I would be the last to hear of it. However, I had no answers. Only more questions, and more doubts. I ruffled my hair in my hands, frustrated at my inability to do anything.

"Are you ready for what's to come?"

I nearly fell off the bench. Marisu was sitting beside me, giving me a kind of look that I didn't have time to decipher before I quickly averted my gaze to resume my hobby of feet-staring and grass counting.

"What's coming?" I asked, continuing to avoid eye contact.

I could hear a deep sigh from the girl beside me. She must have been frustrated for reasons I could not comprehend.

"If you're going to be this useless again, I guess I have to do everything on my own. Again."

She got up to leave, but out of some instinctive reaction I grabbed on to her sleeve again. "Wait!"

"What?" She tugged away with her hand, but not hard enough to dislodge my grasp as if she wasn't even really trying.

"You know a lot more than you are letting on. But you are being very tight-lipped about it. Why?"

This time she averted her gaze and stared out into the open space across the river. "Let go of me."

I relaxed my fingers a bit. "Why?"

She did not answer for a long time. She was staring into the sky, observing something up there in the wild, blue yonder. I tried to look but did not see anything out of ordinary.

"What is it?"

"He's early today." She reached into her pocket, pulling out the _PreChanMirror_ and preparing to transform. "You stay put and don't do anything stupid again."

Before I could ask any further, she had leapt skyward. Despite her warning, I still needed answers so curiosity as well as pride got the better of me. I took note of where she was heading and then made up my mind to go there myself the old fashioned way – with legs.

* * *

It doesn't take much effort to track down a Pretty Cure in battle. Just follow the sounds of crashes and explosions, and go in the opposite direction of the fleeing crowd and you're most likely to be on the right path. Like a moth drawn towards the light, I simply had to witness the battle in hopes of answering the many questions that I still lingered. I would occasionally see figures darting across the sky, but they moved so fast while I was too focused on the path ahead to recognise any of them. Soon, I came to a grassy clearing where the battle was taking place, and what I saw made me screech to a halt.

The four main Cures Lovely, Princess, Honey and Fortune, together with Cure Crimson, were battling another female Cure. She was clad in red and black, looking almost like a mirror image of a darker Cure Lovely. If I wasn't so well-versed in this particular story, I would have been caught off guard by this spectacle, but I fully knew who they were fighting. This was a person who had the power to harness the very shadow of an opponent, turning their darkest selves against them. This was Phantom, the Precure Hunter, who had stolen Cure Lovely's shadow to transform himself into Cure Unlovely.

At that moment, I finally realised what was so wrong about everything up until now. That uncomfortable thing that had been nagging at me at the back of my mind all this while, that also related to the timeline being completely off, all boiled down to one single fact – the Precures aren't in peak form at all. Because of all the anomalies and deviations that have occurred, the four Cures have yet to obtain their next power up, the Happiness Big Bang. Without this special move, they shouldn't – or should I say wouldn't – be able to defeat Unlovely in their current state.

A nearby crash shook me out of my thoughts. Cure Princess had taken a hit and cratered the ground a short distance away. I ran up to her. "Are you alright?"

"Get back!" Princess yelled, holding out a hand at me. Phantom – or rather, Unlovely – was diving towards us like an eagle about to snatch its prey. I wanted to leap back, but at the same time my conscience demanded that I do not leave Cure Princess. Trapped in between a moment of indecision, I helplessly watched as Unlovely sped towards the both of us at breakneck speed. And then Cure Lovely slammed her shoulder into Unlovely, sending her tumbling away.

Cure Honey landed right beside me. "You should get to safety while you can."

"Honey is right," Cure Fortune said as she landed in front of me, holding out her hand in my direction while maintaining her gaze on the enemy. "It's too dangerous for you to be here."

I felt the burning gaze of Cure Crimson upon me from above; looking up at her just served to confirm my feelings. She was definitely mad at me for disobeying her order, and I've got no excuse for her. But she wasn't about to come down and admonish me. Instead, everyone immediately tensed up, raising their hands and slightly bending their knees in a defensive posture as Unlovely picked herself up and looked about menacingly, searching for the one who had struck her. Honey and Fortune immediately moved towards Cure Lovely; seeing this, Unlovely scanned her surroundings again and this time locked her sights on Cure Crimson above.

Ignoring the ongoing clash, I ran back towards the buildings, ducking behind some overturned carts. I continued to watch the battle unfold from behind cover. My eyes were all on Cure Crimson. On how she fought, how she anticipated Unlovely's attacks, and how she reacted. I needed to get a read on her if I was to judge her true agenda.

Crimson's attacks were very cautious and calculative. She would hold back, waiting for the other Cures to commence their attack. Even then, she would lurk by the sidelines, then dashing in to strike when an opening presented itself. She was like a textbook rogue class utilizing surprise and attacks of opportunity to the fullest. Despite this, Unlovely still presented a very formidable defence which never failed to repel Crimson's underhanded tactics. This played out like a covert cat and mouse game, while a more overt and brutal fight went on with the other four Cures.

The battle quickly took to the skies again, where Unlovely seemed to move quicker and react more fluidly up there while the rest of the girls struggled to keep up with their opponent's fast and unpredictable motions. Unlovely would duck aside from an attack and quickly recover to deliver a devastating response before her opponent could react. Lovely and Fortune, considered to be the more close combat-oriented girls of the group, were sent plummeting while Princess and Honey encircled their prey from the sidelines and tried to provide ranged support.

A barrage of magical bullets saturated the sky, courtesy of Princess' Bullet Machine Gun. Rather than dodging, Unlovely simply held out her hand and stopped whatever stray bolts came her way. Honey took advantage of this to lasso Unlovely's outstretched hand with magical ribbons, an attack christened Honey Ribbon Spiral. The tactic appeared to work and Honey proceeded to reel her opponent in, but Unlovely smirked at Honey's attempts and tugged back at the magical binds. In a short and brutally one-sided tug-of-war between the two girls, Unlovely unceremoniously turned Honey's attack against herself, slinging her towards the ground.

Before Unlovely had completed her slingshot manoeuvre on Honey, however, Crimson sped towards Unlovely with an outstretched fist. The blow struck below Unlovely's midsection, causing her to double over as she hurtled backwards from the momentum. Crimson continued pressing forward, throwing punches and kicks like a well-rehearsed kata. If this were a Street Fighter match, Crimson was probably cheating and taking advantage of an exploit to deliver an infinite hit combo on her opponent.

After one final roundhouse kick in mid-air, Unlovely was sent smashing onto the pavement, cratering it and the surrounding road in the process. By then, Lovely, Fortune and Honey had already recovered and made their way to the smoking crater while Hime continued circling it from above. Crimson, however, did not bother to wait and dive-bombed towards the crater with an extended and clenched fist at supersonic speeds. The resulting sonic boom could only be heard after she had hit the ground, causing yet another explosion that threw up a massive cloud of dust and debris.

Before the dust cloud had cleared away, I threw caution to the wind and rushed over to the crater. Fortune noticed my approach and held out her hand, cautioning me to be careful. I slowed down and kept my distance, but still remained close enough to observe the situation unfold.

Crimson was on top of Unlovely, barely managing to pin her opponent down. They were struggling for something; Fortune quickly leapt in and gave a swift kick, sending a sword spinning harmlessly into the air. Lovely and Honey then proceeded to help restrain their opponent while Hime began to descend slowly.

Convinced that the coast was now clear, I crept forward and peered into the crater. Crimson and Fortune were holding their opponent down. It was no longer Cure Unlovely – she had reverted to Phantom again. Lovely and Honey were standing over the three of them, still in combat-ready stance. Phantom glared at everyone, still attempting to struggle.

"Give it up already," Crimson commanded as she struggled to keep him from moving. "You've lost. Now go run back and cry to your precious Mirage."

"How dare you speak of her in this manner!" Phantom raged like a wild beast.

"Phantom!" Fortune addressed him with a stern voice. "Where is my sister, Cure Tender?"

"You'll never see her again!" Phantom continued to be as defiant as ever.

Unperturbed by his response, Fortune pressed down on Phantom's chest and repeated herself. "Where is Cure Tender?"

"Let me go and I'll send you all to her – at the Precure Graveyard!" His eyes locked with Fortune as they both stared each other down with hateful gazes.

"You're a monster!" Fortune was clearly losing it as she raised her fist at Phantom.

"Fortune, he isn't going to talk!" Crimson interrupted. "Phantom's no use to you. If you want your sister back, you'll have to go after Queen Mirage."

Fortune stared at Crimson, her brows still narrowed in fury. Lovely and Honey both knelt down and laid a hand each of Fortune's shoulders. "She's right, Fortune," Honey said. "Throwing your anger at Phantom will not get your sister back."

Eventually, Fortune relented. Crimson grabbed Phantom by the collar and pulled him close. It seemed like it was her turn now.

"Phantom, what do you know about the monolith?"

My eyebrows twitched curiously. I've not heard that term before. What was Crimson after?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Phantom answered, his gaze now locked onto Crimson's.

I took a step forward. "Crimson, what is this monolith?"

"You should know," she replied without breaking her gaze. "After all-"

"Release Phantom at once!" a voice boomed overhead. We all looked up and saw the visage of a yellow-haired girl in a dark, tuxedo-like dress. She held a staff in one hand, topped in the shape of a crescent moon with a purple gem hovering between the two points of the moon. This was Queen Mirage herself, staring down on all of us through a large mirror that served as an inter-dimensional communications medium. She was still sitting at her throne, probably in the Blue Sky Kingdom, brandishing her staff towards us in a threatening manner.

Dark energies began to swirl around her staff. We scrambled to our feet as soon as we realised her intentions. What happened next, however, was a blur. Mirage unleashed a wave of dark energies in our direction, but Blue appeared out of nowhere, and without warning we found ourselves back in the living room of The Embassy. It took a while for it to click that Blue had in fact come to rescue us and teleported everyone out of harm's way. In any case, Cure Crimson had given us the slip again, for she was gone by the time everyone had recovered from the shock and panic.

I slumped over onto the closest sofa and gathered my thoughts. While the conclusion seemed like a victory, I couldn't help but wonder how badly the timeline had deviated. The way things were going, I worried if the four main Cures would be strong enough for the eventual endgame scenario.

I also noted the absence of both Marie and Miss Sugimoto throughout the entire ordeal. Curious.

* * *

While everyone else was recuperating, I decided to go out and take a walk. I wanted to back to the riverside and think about what Crimson had asked Phantom, before we were interrupted. The sight of the serene river flowing through the city seemed to have a calming effect on me, so I thought that would be the best place to be.

I had barely sat down for five minutes when Iona showed up and took a seat beside me. "Marisu seems to know you." She had an accusing look on her face.

"It seems so," I muttered. "But I don't know anything about her." After a brief pause, I decided to add, "Is this the reason you are here?"

"To be blunt, yes." She crossed her arms and continued to look at me accusingly. "In fact, I'd go as far as say that the two of you are working together. Towards what goals I cannot say but this only serves to cast the shadow of doubt on you."

"I see. Well, you probably have every right to be suspicious. She has approached me casually a few times, acting as if we have something going on between us and that I have somehow absconded from a deal I don't remember making. As least that's the impression that I have gotten from the few interactions that I've had with her. I still don't know what her deal is, but I assure you that I am not actively 'working with her' as you say."

Iona seemed to be satisfied with my answer for the moment as she relaxed herself and slumped onto the bench to relax. "That was quite a fight, and I'm still not any closer to freeing my sister."

"Don't worry. You'll see her again eventually."

We both stared out at the river for a long time and watched the children and their family play alongside it in the park. It was as if the previous battle never even happened; everyone was still as carefree as ever, going about their daily lives despite a worldwide invasion from another dimension. I felt the serenity and the innocence of the situation a little comforting, after everything that had happened today.

"I don't know what to say, but at least I can acknowledge that you're not the enemy," Iona finally said before getting up on her feet. "We should hurry home. Yuuko's preparing dinner again tonight." Iona seemed pretty enthusiastic all of a sudden.

"What's the occasion?"

"I don't know," she replied. "But Megumi seemed pretty perky about dinner and wanted all of us to be there tonight."

I chuckled. The subject of food always lightens up the mood, especially when Yuuko is involved. "Yeah. Let's do that."

* * *

Dinner was supposed to be a happy occasion, and one where I could just sit back and relax and enjoy a good meal – especially when it was Yuuko who was in charge of the kitchen. However, both Marie and Miss Sugimoto were present, and it wasn't just their presence that made me uncomfortable, but also their untowardly attitude as well.

It wasn't just me though. Everyone around the table also seemed to be uncomfortable with Marie being overbearing on Megumi, and how Miss Sugimoto was sitting too close to Blue. To be frank, the entire situation at the table was extremely awkward and everyone hurriedly finished their meals in silence. When everyone was nearly done with their food, Megumi stood up and said, "Everyone, I have something to announce."

Five minutes later, everyone had gathered around at the living room. Almost everyone had their jaw dropped as if they had just seen a ghost.

"What do you mean, you and Marie are dating?" Hime was obviously distressed, ruffling up her hair as the words sank in.

"I… I didn't know you swung that way," Iona stammered.

I looked to Blue, hoping to at least get some kind of logical or authorial response out of him, but he just smiled approvingly at the pair. It was not just his acceptance that bothered me, but Miss Sugimoto was also snuggling up to him, clutching at his left arm like a little kitten. If I were to let my instincts take control of my mouth this very moment, I would have run out of expletives before you could even speak the words "Mississippi."

On second thought, perhaps my mind had really broken this time. "What the hell?"

I unintentionally managed to get everyone's attention. "What the hell is this? None of this is not supposed to happen at all! Everything up to now is completely wrong! The whole timeline is all fucked up, and you haven't even unlocked Axia's _Shining Make Dresser_ or your Innocent Forms yet! What the hell is this shit?"

"Ken… calm down," Iona said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"No!" I shook my head and brushed her hand off. "No, I can't calm down. Not with everything like this! I can't even begin to fathom just how screwed up everything single thing is! You…" I pointed an accusing finger at Marie, "and you…" This was at Miss Sugimoto. "Marisu! And me! We're not supposed to even be here! We don't belong here, yet here we are fucking around the place like some kind of a sick joke!"

Iona kept her head down, while Yuuko stood up and approached me, offering something in her hand. "Please, Ken, try and calm down. Here, have a honey candy."

Before I could answer her, Marie began to weep. "I… I get it. You… you're jealous of us… aren't you… Ken?" she accused, her sobbing getting more and more intense. And annoying too, mind you. Is that how she intended to play it?

"We… we just wanted… everyone to be… happy…" Miss Sugimoto began playing the crying game as well, smothering her face in Blue's chest. He patted her on her head to comfort her, making me feel sick in the gut.

"Hold on just a minute, you two…" Iona stood by my side, addressing the two sad excuses for Precures. "Nobody said anything about-"

"Whose side are you on?" Hime yelled. "Can't my sister just be happy with Megumi? Can't Seiji's cousin be happy with Blue? Are you trying to ruin everyone's happiness?"

Iona and I just stared and blinked, shocked at Hime's outburst. We have not ever seen her like that before. In fact, Hime was the last person in this group that I would have expected to react like this. Yuuko seemed to be at loss for words and just stared helplessly at everyone, her eyes wide open in surprise. This whole situation had just made a turn to the worst, and I may have been the culprit. I have effectively divided the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team, and I have only myself to blame for it. What was that about me not being able to do anything earlier? Yep, that's me sucking like a useless, sad excuse for a human being.

"I give up." I threw both my arms up in the air. "I give up. You can have your petty romance and your petty, sad excuse for a timeline all for your petty little selves. I'm done here."

I stormed up the stairs and headed straight into my room, leaving everyone in a state of shock. I didn't have the time nor interest to bother noticing the hidden smirks on Marie and Miss Sugimoto's faces.

* * *

**Author's Note**: You know that episode from Samurai Flamenco where everything goes ape? Well, this here is where things start to go bananas. No monkeying around here.


	8. The World Ends with Despair

**Chapter 8: The World Ends with Despair**

Three days ago I lost my cool and walked away from my friends in a huff, and that was nothing but an understatement. Three days ago I could have done something that may have changed the timeline of this world for the better, but I squandered the opportunity. Three whole days ago, I could have made a difference but I failed.

From the corner of my eye, I sensed a young girl come and sit on a bench beside me. At a guess, this was either Marisu or Iona. I didn't bother to acknowledge her.

"How long are you going to be like this?" It was unmistakably Iona's voice.

"Until the world comes to an end, perhaps?" I replied half-heartedly, not really caring about the weight of both her question and my answer. Pragmatically speaking, if the Cures haven't unlocked their next stage of powers yet, what are the chances that they would be able to make it through when the eventual endgame came? I may not be certain as I hadn't gone that far in canon before I found myself thrown into this world, but knowing the genre, there definitely would be an endgame scenario where the stakes were extremely high – we're talking about end of the world levels of high – and the Cures must be in their top form or else all would be lost. With such a threat looming, what else can an ordinary person do but languish in despair?

"Listen, I no longer care if you're going to ruin yourself like this. But I still care about my friends and my own life."

That made me flinch. My eyes flitted towards the stern, but concerned-looking gaze of Iona. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She leaned forward and looked me straight in the eye. "Before, you said that the timeline was all wrong. Then you mentioned things about our powers that we have yet to develop. How do you know such things, even new powers that I wasn't aware of? Are you from the future?"

"The future?" I hadn't thought about it this way. In retrospect, it could have been a great way to explain my foreknowledge to everyone, knowledge that could have perhaps even changed the course of the timeline. But it was all too late by now. Things have diverged so much that the past events have most likely become irreparable.

"Look, Yuuko and I have already confirmed some of the facts with Blue. Axia's true power, the _Shining Make Dresser_, and the means to unlock our Innocent Forms. So everything you said during your… _episode_ was true." Iona looked at me again with an even more stern face, as if the previous one wasn't already serious enough. "Let me ask you again, Ken. Are you from our future?"

I sighed, and buried my face in my hands. "I… I guess you could think of it like that. Even though technically, no, I'm not from your future. But for all practical intents and purposes, then yes, you can assume that I have future knowledge about you and your friends. Though the future that I speak of is one with a very specific timeline; one that does not have me, Marisu, Marie or Mari in it. There, are you happy now? Can you leave me alone now?"

"So you're just going to giving up?"

I sighed again. The "giving up" speech is so cliché, and so I did not give it any attention at all. "Look, it's too late now. Everything has completely diverged. None of this was meant to be. There's no way to fix it now. I don't have super powers like the rest of you. I cannot do anything at all. I just want to be left alone until it all ends."

"What do you mean?" She grabbed me by the collar and gave me a rough shake up. "What's coming next?"

I looked away, but Iona forced me to look her in the eye. I still tried to avoid eye contact as I said, "Cure Tender is coming."

"What?" She loosened her grip, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Soon, a powerful Saiark commanded by Oresky will arrive. After you defeat him and his Saiark, Cure Tender will arrive. Queen Mirage has your sister under her control. She will come and defeat the Happiness Charge team. Without Axia's power, and without your Innocent Forms, there's no way that you can beat your sister and save her from Mirage. Funny how things turn out, huh? You try so hard to find your sister, but she'll find you instead. She comes back to kill us all, and that's probably the end of the world as we know it."

That might have been a bit too harsh. The painful sting on my face, courtesy of Iona's palm slapping across it, confirmed it. I totally deserved that.

"You may not care if I found my sister again, or if the world ended, but I do! I care! I care about my sister, my friends, this world, and everyone in it! I'm a Pretty Cure, damn it!" Her voice faltered near the end. Her eyes were nearly welled up in tears, but she held them back, not allowing a single drop to flow from her violet eyes. And that made me feel bad about myself. Iona's a tough girl, and she's been through a lot. Probably more than anything I could have in my own life. How am I supposed to respond to that? I have to admit, her guilt-tripping exercise has been quite effective here. What the hell am I doing loitering around like a useless bum anyway? If Pretty Cure had taught me anything at all, it is that these girls do not give up no matter what. These magical girls would get up and keep on fighting as long as there was the tiniest glimmer of love and hope remaining in the world. The fact that Iona chose to keep moving forward said a lot of things about my current attitude, and none of it was good.

"Thanks," I managed to mumble.

Iona let out an audible sigh and let go of my collar. "You're a strange one. What's with the random thanking again?"

"Thanks for waking me up." I got up from the bench and gave a good look at the city skyline. "This is a nice town. I'd hate to see its people suffer. I'm sorry I've said some things that I shouldn't have. If it is of any consolation, perhaps we still have a chance if we already know what's coming and are able to prepare for it."

Iona stood up and smiled as her gaze followed mine. "Then let's stop wasting any more time and head back together. Yuuko's waiting for us."

"Only Yuuko? What about the others?"

"It's complicated," she replied sheepishly. "We'll fill you in on the details later."

* * *

During the next few days, I found myself caught up in a series of intense training sessions. Iona had acknowledged that I was a liability in battle, so I had to shape up and learn to defend myself. However, Iona's idea of self-defence involved running and dodging, followed by more running and dodging. She said to forget about attacking – I wouldn't be able to punch anything that was on the level of another Pretty Cure or Saiark. I should also forget about blocking and parrying as well; ordinary human hands are in no condition to withstand the powerful blows of magically-enhanced super girls and six-foot tall monstrosities.

I twisted aside and landed on one hand to avoid a flurry of kicks from Iona before I rolled away and hastily got back up to my feet only to come face to face with the her oncoming fist. I had already anticipated this though and quickly bat her arm aside as I tumbled in the opposite direction and came to a stop on all fours, ready to pounce. I then raised one hand to end up in a really cool pose. In retrospect, that's not the right way to do three-point landing.

"You're doing quite well," Iona said as she relaxed her stance.

"Thanks to you," I replied. "I feel like I can take on the world like this."

"Not quite." She had that strange, mischievous grin on her face which gave me the chills. "All this was just the beginning. Your pain and suffering starts now."

Glasan, who was watching from the sidelines, let out a chuckle as Iona revealed her _PreChanMirror_ in her hand.

"You must be kidding," was the only thing I could eke out of my completely intimidated self.

"Iona's right," Glasan commented as the little fairy fluttered a little closer to watch. "Going against a well-trained but only _human_ opponent is one thing. Choiarks, Saiarks and other Precures, on the other hand, are on a completely different level than yourself."

I gulped as the next stage of my training begun.

In the meantime, Iona and Yuuko continued to spar and practice on their own time as well. Iona was extremely focused and trained hard; the stakes were high and it involved her sister, after all. We initially tried to rope in Megumi and Hime as well, but Megumi seemed preoccupied with her new love and Hime still wasn't on talking terms with Iona and me, so it fell upon just the three of us to ensure that the future was put into good hands. I had thought to seek out Marisu as she seemed to be a potentially strong asset for the upcoming challenge, but the others agreed that we still did not know enough about the girl to trust her. I just hope that they were right about this.

At the end of each day, I was completely exhausted and did nothing more than eat and sleep, knowing that the next day would be a repeat of gruelling training and painful, aching muscles. But I kept at it. I had to. We'll reclaim this timeline one way or another, one step at a time. And speaking of timing, we hadn't have had a Saiark invasion for a while. I could feel it in my gut that Cure Tender would arrive any day now.

* * *

When we heard news that a Saiark was rampaging in town, Iona, Yuuko and I knew today was the big day. The day that we had all trained for, and it was now or never. The Happiness Charge team transformed and headed into battle, leaving me to get there the old fashioned way.

"Where do you think you are going?"

I took a deep breath and turned around to greet multicolour haired girl standing before me. "How nice of you to drop by, Marisu."

She remained unmoved by my snarky response, however. "Don't tell me you're going to run off to watch the battle and get yourself mauled again?"

"Don't worry," I answered. I had a lot more confidence in myself, after the gruelling training regime that Iona had put me through. I wasn't the same Ken as before, and I felt like I wanted to flaunt it. "I can handle myself."

"No. You. Can't." Marisu was as stern and as commanding as ever. "You will forget your illusions of grandeur and stay here, out of trouble, until the battle is over. If I catch even the slightest glimpse of you near that fight, I'll personally break your neck myself!"

I raised both hands in defeat. This is a girl who shall not be crossed, especially when she is apparently the top dog around the neighbourhood. "All right, all right. I'll stay here and mind my own business."

"Right." With that, she turned around and launched herself up into the air, heading towards what looked like the beginning of a furious battle between four Cures and forces of the Phantom Empire.

As Cure Crimson faded from sight, something else caught my interest. A short distance away, a figure ducked into the shadows before sprinting off in the direction of the battle. My eyes widened as I recognised the figure. My mysterious stalker. My curiosity was thoroughly piqued. After I made sure that Cure Crimson was indeed already out of sight, I sprinted after this mystery girl.

* * *

I arrived at the scene of the battle to note that the Saiark that had been rampaging around town had already been defeated its master, a man in brown military uniform known as Oresky, lay sprawled at the feet of his four opponents. A cursory scan of the battlefield also revealed the presence of Cure Crimson nearby, calmly watching over the four Cures from atop a tall building not far from my position. Marie and Miss Sugimoto were both suspiciously absent though. However at this moment I was not the least bit interested in the whereabouts of those two. My eyes were trained on the mysterious girl standing with her back against me. I slowly inched my way towards her. My gut instinct told me that she was already aware of my presence and was just allowing me to get closer, but the more egoistic part of me just urged me on, confident that I had the upper hand.

"Who are you?"

The girl did not answer. In fact, she did not even bother to turn around to face me. I took a few more steps towards her. By now, she was close enough that I could clearly see what an odd and unusual girl she was. Her skin was pale and she was clad in an almost all-black dress. Her hair was short and pale, neatly tucked in a black beret. She had long black gloves, paired with long black stockings and shiny black shoes.

"You may approach no further." She finally spoke, in a soft but surprisingly commanding tone.

"Who are you?" I repeated.

"Formal identification is unnecessary at the present time." What the hell is up with this girl, is the first thought that crossed my mind.

"Why are you stalking me?"

No answer again. She seemed more interested in watching the four Cures deal with Oresky rather than entertain my interrogative queries. "Final parameters have been met," she finally muttered to herself.

I followed her gaze and quickly realised what she had just meant. In a flash of light, followed by a cloud of dust, Cure Tender made her presence known. Her resemblance to Iona was astonishing. Her Cure form was also themed purple, but with more black accents which no doubt are part of Queen Mirage's corruption. A pair of butterfly-like wings lay prominently on her back. Further behind her, the familiar figure of Queen Mirage could be seen sitting at her throne, projected onto a large mirror that acted as a viewing window for her to witness the upcoming battle.

I could almost see Fortune tense up at the sight of her older sister, helplessly manipulated like a puppet and made to fight the four of them. As the four Cures prepared for the most challenging battle of their life, Cure Crimson hunkered down and began to slowly creep across the rooftops, cautiously approaching this new threat like an assassin waiting for the right moment to pounce.

The battle was fast and brutal. Tender moved even faster than Phantom, as Cure Unlovely, did. In a rapid succession of blows, she effortlessly overpowered Lovely and Princess and sent them crashing into a nearby tree. Fortune and Honey proved to be slightly more resilient to her attacks though, while Crimson continued to lurk around the boundaries of the battlefield.

Fortune and Honey proceeded to execute a combination that they had practised together days before. Fortune goaded Tender into attacking, while she did her best to dodge and parry while Honey snuck up from behind and attempted to lasso Tender with a Honey Ribbon Spiral. The yellow ribbons snaked around Tender's torso and held fast. Tender instinctively turned to reach out and grab a hold of the ribbons, and then Fortune took the opportunity to dash into melee range and placed the palm of her hand on Tender's torso.

A bright flash of light erupted from her open hand, sending Tender reeling. I've just witnessed Fortune Star Burst first hand, and it was a glorious and flashy, yet risky move. Both Fortune and Honey leapt away and started preparing to unleash their strongest purification attacks while their opponent remained stunned.

It was a good plan in theory, but they did not get a chance to attack. Without warning, Tender dashed towards Honey with unbelievable speed, not showing a single sign of faltering despite being at the receiving end of Fortune's powerful blow just a moment ago. Unable to break off her attack and defend herself, Honey was sent hurtling into a nearby patch of shrubs. Tender then turned her attention on Fortune, who had broken off her purification attack and went into a defensive stance.

It was at this moment that Cure Crimson made her move, dive-bombing from Tender's blind spot and exploding into the battlefield like a ballistic missile launched from the heavens. The ground below us shook as the impact of Crimson's attack created an enormous shockwave from where Tender was standing. We were all forced to shield our eyes from the resulting storm of dust and debris.

When all the dust had cleared, Tender was sprawled on the ground, but she was far from being defeated just yet. She quickly pushed herself backwards, springing to her feet and landing perfectly several feet away from Cure Crimson. Tender was panting and clutching at her right side as they both stared down each other. This brief lull in action gave the Happiness Charge team precious breathing room to regroup. Fortune tried talking to Tender again, and though I couldn't make out the details from where I hid myself, it was obvious that her words simply fell on deaf ears. It would take more than just a mere sibling connection to get past Mirage's mental influence.

My mysterious stalker started talking to herself again. "Parameters have reached optimal levels. Proceeding with final phase."

Was she talking to someone else? She seemed to be holding some sort of device in her hand. At a glance it looked like some sort of cell phone, but there was some very strange sense of familiarity about it that I couldn't put together. My first thought was that she was another Pretty Cure; it wouldn't surprise me at all considering all the strange things that have happened. However, that wasn't it. The device did not resemble any sort of _PreChanMirror_ at all, nor did she hold any _PreCards_ in her hand.

In any case I was too engrossed with her device to realise the Cure Crimson had turned to look in our general direction. She had at first noticed the stranger, and then her attention quickly darted to me and her expression changed. Her eyes widened and she began yelling at me. Although I still couldn't make out what she was trying to say from all the commotion going on, my instincts were firing off huge warning klaxons inside my head. I had initially thought that Crimson was cross at me disobeying her but no, it wasn't anger at all. Instead, I sensed fear.

And then the mysterious girl was engulfed in spiral of black and purple energy.

Cure Crimson sped towards me with reckless abandon, leaving behind the Happiness Charge team to deal with Cure Tender on their own. With athletic grace, she dropped in front of me and immediately spun around, keeping me shielded from the swirling mass of energies that coalesced around the dark girl. When those energies had finally dissipated, the person standing before us was someone I would instantly and undoubtedly identify as an enemy. She was clad in a black and purple dress, and a pair of bat-like wings hung from her back. She had jet-black hair, accentuated by a single strip of white hair running across the middle of her forehead. Her long gloves and stockings were similarly themed.

"I am the darkness from which no light escapes. I am ebony and I am ivory. I am the raven and I am the dove. I am Cure Despair."

"Run, Ken."

I did not need to second-guess Crimson's command this time. I turned and ran. But Despair was faster. She was even faster than Crimson, and before I could even take a single step away, I found myself staring Despair face to face again. Crimson grabbed my shoulder with a vice-like grip and violently shoved me behind her, once again interposing herself between me and this new enemy. I stumbled and landed on my rear end as Crimson launched herself at Despair. She was very fast, and each of her punches were thrown with lightning speed, but Despair didn't even break a sweat as she half-heartedly dodged and parried each blow with frightening ease. Once she grew bored toying with Crimson, she lashed out with her palm and caught Crimson in the chest, sending her tumbling back in my direction and piling over me in a heap.

"You need to run, Ken," Crimson repeated as she forced herself back up. "I'll hold her off, but you need to get out of here as quickly as you can."

I simply nodded and got back to my feet. I stayed behind Crimson, carefully watching her opponent's every move and waiting for the right opportunity to make a run for it. When Crimson charged towards Despair, I saw an opening present itself. So I turned around and fled. In the midst of it all, the Happiness Charge team was still scrambling to keep up with Cure Tender, but they were the least of my concerns right now. I quickly ducked behind a half-standing wall before turning into another side alley, only to run into a most familiar pair.

"Where do you think you're going, Ken?"

I froze at the sight of Marie and Miss Sugimoto, both already transformed into their Cure forms Sparkle and Twilight. "Umm, aren't you going to help Cure Lovely and the others fight Cure Tender?" I innocently asked.

Sparkle clicked her tongue and wagged her index finger at me. "We've got something else we need to take care of." Twilight, quietly huddled behind her partner, nodded at her answer.

"And that would be…?" I took a step back, already guessing at what she meant.

The two of them took a step forward, and that was enough to have me turn around and run yet again. Out of the frying pan, into the fire, then back onto the frying pan again.

I stumbled upon Crimson and Despair, trading punches while smashing up the local architecture where I left them earlier. Despite being preoccupied with her opponent, Crimson still managed to find time to admonish me. "What the hell are you doing back here?"

I didn't have time to respond. Sensing something approaching at high speed, I spun to the side and narrowly avoided Cure Sparkle's lunge from behind. The blow from Cure Twilight caught me completely off guard though. As if she wasn't cross enough with me already, I reeled from the blow and crashed into Cure Crimson. She let out a howl in frustration, but cut herself short and kicked me out of the way as Despair took advantage of the confusion to land a devastating drop kick in our midst. Despite not being in the line of fire, I could still feel the shockwave of Despair's blow. It was strong enough to knock me off my feet yet again. This was not going anywhere good, and we needed a plan. We desperately needed an exit strategy.

Cure Lovely and the others had noticed the nearby commotion and some of them tried to come to our aid. They could not overcome Cure Tender's speed, however, and found themselves cut off from Crimson and me. If they can't get to us, then perhaps I can bring the fight to them instead. Right now, we were isolated and separately facing off an overwhelming force. Perhaps if I brought everyone together again, we may be able to bolster our strength in numbers. It was a desperate tactic, but I couldn't think of anything else at the moment. I shot a glance at Crimson, hoping to somehow relay my plans to her but she was sprawled on the ground, enduring a beating from Despair while Sparkle and Twilight looked on. I couldn't do anything for her now, so I legged it on my own.

I took not more than ten strides when I felt the sensation of something rushing past me at high speed. In a blink of an eye, Sparkle was now standing in front of me. I gritted my teeth and maintained my course, clenching my fist and raising it to strike. It was not the best of tactics; Crimson easily caught hold of my outstretched hand before I could make it explode on her pretty little face. With a wry smile, she yanked hard. My shoulder cried a thousand cries as I found myself airborne, hurtling towards the Happiness Charge team at a haphazard position. It looked like I would make it after all, but there was Cure Tender in the way. Purple energy swirled around her and she raised a hand in my direction. Cures Lovely, Princess, Honey and Fortune immediately rushed towards Tender the moment they realised her intentions.

They could not reach her in time. A devastating blast of magical energy leapt from Cure Tender's palm. Without the ability to fly, there was no way that I could move myself out of the way of the fatal attack…

* * *

**Author's Note:** The chapter title, _The World Ends with Despair_, was an alternate title that I was considering for this story. It turned out to be a bit too mundane, and perhaps a bit too revealing also. Finally I decided to use the present story title, but keep this as a chapter title instead.

The dark, goth girl is yet another known Mary Sue archetype. Often associated with vampires and/or the occult. One of the more well-known (or infamous, rather) Mary Sues from this archetype is _Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way_, of the fanfiction _My Immortal_. The Youtube web series is hilarious, by the way.


	9. All You Need is Ken

**Chapter 9: All You Need is Ken**

I had the same dream again. Darkness, in a sea of light fibres, perpetuated for infinity. A light shined brightly, leaving its stalk behind. As the light dimmed, the entire stalk shattered into a million particles of light, swirling in the etheric wind as unseen eddies carried the particles along in the dream world. I floated in darkness, watching this fireworks-like spectacle with awe. Then I heard a familiar voice speak.

"Are you all right?"

I slowly opened my eyes. My shoulder felt a little numb but I immediately forgot about it when I saw Megumi looking over me, concerned. "Oh, it's just you, Megu-"

I shot up, nearly colliding with Megumi who had barely managed to snap back and avoid a painful head butt. I blinked and looked around. We were at the park beside the river. Megumi was kneeling beside me while Hime peered over her shoulder from behind, with Ribbon acting motionless on her lap, like a little plush toy.

"What happened?"

"We found you lying unconscious here. Do you remember how you got here?"

I stared back at Megumi. My jaw must have dropped all the way to the bottom and cratered the ground by now. Megumi tilted her head, puzzled by my reaction, while Hime reclined further behind her.

"You… don't know who I am?"

She simply shook her head in response. She leaned over a little bit more, looking over me for a moment before placing the back of her hand on my forehead. "Are you hurt?"

I gently grabbed her wrist and pushed it away from my head. She recoiled and withdrew her hand.

"I'm fine, Megumi." I watched her expression turn to surprise. Then I looked over her shoulder and greeted the others. "Hime. Ribbon."

The three of them recoiled, their expressions froze with wide open eyes and dropped jaws. Even Ribbon had forgotten to remain still and was as lively as a deer that was caught in the headlights. Finally, Megumi gathered her composure to speak. "How do you know our names?"

"That's a good question indeed. How is it that I still remember the three of you, but you don't remember who I am?" I studied the three of them, noticing their puzzled look as they tried to jog their memories for any hidden clue. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. It was the very same day where Megumi and Hime found me. Everything seemed to look the way I remember, from the city skyline to the spots of fungi and corrupted sweets scattered throughout the city.

"Sorry to be so blunt about this, but I think I need to go see Blue-sama."

All I got were even more puzzled looks, however. "Look, I don't really know how to explain all of this. I'm hoping that maybe Blue-sama would be able to piece together just what the hell is going on, because right now I've got no clue as to why I'm suddenly back here again after everything that we've been through. I thought this was Pretty Cure, not Doctor Who, damn it!"

"You know that we are Pretty Cure?" Megumi asked.

Ribbon was even more hysterical. "He even knows me! This is big! This is serious! Who are you anyway?"

"Oh sorry." I lightly slapped my head in disappointment. I was so engaged with this mystery that I had forgotten about the courtesy of introducing myself. "I'm Ken."

"I'm Aino Megumi. Pleased to meet you," the redhead replied and extended a hand to me. It felt strange to go through these reintroductions again, but I just played along and shook her hand.

"Shirayuki Hime," the blue-haired princess mumbled from behind Megumi, her eyes continually studying the grass at her feet.

"Ribbon," the fairy answered in a slightly less but still hysterical tone.

"So I understand that you want to meet Blue-sama?" Megumi asked.

"If you would kindly do so," I answered in the most polite tone that I could muster.

Megumi nodded. We began heading towards The Embassy with Megumi in the lead; Hime walked by her side, cradling Ribbon in her arms. Occasionally they would both throwing nervous glances back at me.

We walked pass very familiar landmarks, wading through the bustling streets of Pikarigaoka when a crowd of panicking people ran past us. I sighed; this was completely expected, and I knew exactly what lay ahead. I looked to Megumi, expecting her to say something soon. She turned her head from side to side as she assessed the situation, and then threw a glance at me. "Quickly find somewhere safe to hide!"

The three of them rushed to the scene, while I followed quietly from behind. Megumi began to notice me, so I tried to remember the phrase that I said before. "You told me to find a safe place to hide. When the Phantom Empire attacks, that place is by the side of any one of you girls." I don't think that came out the same, but whatever. In any case, she simply nodded so as long as the result was the same, the accuracy of my delivery didn't matter.

Soon we arrived at the scene of the commotion, and everything looked the same as it had played out before. Namakelder was lazily moping around on the rooftops, while the construction worker Saiark rampaged, spreading its mould and fungi all around. The two girls transformed into Pretty Cure and engaged their opponent in battle while I looked for a place to take cover. Instead of choosing the same piece of rubble that I found the last time, I went for an overturned cart of cabbages a little bit further away, knowing full well that the battleground would expand once the fight was under way.

I watched a repeat of the same battle unfold before my eyes. Lovely and Hime started to lose ground before this powerful Saiark and its army of supporting Choiarks, and then Fortune and Honey came to reinforce the team. Again, they got pushed back by the enemy forces when Crimson, on cue, swooped in and single-handedly took down the Saiark in a series of well-placed strikes. She followed up with her purifying move as I had predicted, and it was all over.

Once I was certain that it was safe to come out of hiding, I got up and made my way to the group. Crimson turned around and noticed me approach. I stopped dead in my tracks. She glared at me, her fists tightly clenched. Was it my imagination, or did she seem really angry at me for some reason? I had a hunch, but before I could process all that information, she had already lunged towards me and planted a fist in my stomach. I doubled over in pain, unable to react as she wrapped one arm around my head and tightly gripped my chin with her other hand.

Her previous words rang clearly in my head. _If I catch even the slightest glimpse of you near that fight, I'll personally break your neck myself!_ Fear washed over me as I realised the implications of her actions. "Marisu, s-stop…"

It's philosophical question time! If a person were to have their neck snapped, would that person be able to hear the cracking of their spine before dying? After all, the inner ear lobe is somewhat connected to the skull, and assuming I have studied biology correctly, any sort of bone-crunching action would echo from the neck and into the inner ear. In any case, that's such a weird thing to think about when one's life hangs on a fragile thread.

Crimson's arm tense up, and then jerked in a twisting motion…

* * *

"Are you-"

I opened my eyes, jolting up into a sitting position and crashing headlong into Megumi's jaw.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I cried out as soon as I felt the sharp pain on my head. After rubbing the painful spot on my forehead, my hand naturally moved to my neck, rubbing it and wondering if my head was still properly attached to the body.

It took a while to recover from my own shock and confusion. I looked around. Megumi was still kneeling down beside me, her hands cupping her mouth as tears trickled out of her eyes. Hime was attending to her while Ribbon laid motionless on her shoulder, the both of them completely ignoring me for the moment. We were all by the same riverside, overlooking the very same city skyline like the last two times. Come to think of it, this also meant that I had died twice. But more importantly, Marisu knew exactly what was happening. She was in the same situation as me. Everything was even more complicated than I had thought, and I really needed to see Blue to see if he can sort things out. This brought my attention back to Megumi and what appeared to be a broken jaw.

"I'm really sorry," I repeated.

Megumi raised her hand to motion me to stop. "It's alright," she said in a pained voice. "You didn't mean it."

I still felt pity for her. Here she was, simply leaning over to see if the unconscious person they found on the ground was hurt or not, when he suddenly broke her jaw. On the other hand, perhaps I was just over-thinking it. "Is it… broken?"

She shook her head, and I sighed out in relief. "Sorry," I mumbled, again, while staring at my feet.

I heard a chuckle. I looked at Megumi, and she was smiling. "You've said sorry so many times already. You're a really funny one."

I sheepishly laughed along with that. "I'm Ken. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

I watched the battle at the shopping district unfold again. Choiarks filled the open square like a black swarm of ants, only to be tossed into the air like rag dolls when the Cures struck back. The Saiark indiscriminately smashed about with its heavy mallet, forcing the Cures back from its sheer ferocity alone. This is the third time that I have watched them fight light this, and it is still a mystery to me why this out-of-place battle is happening and why the girls keep losing ground against what I thought was just another ordinary Saiark. It should have been just another Tuesday for them; instead, they keep getting their rear ends handed to them on a silver platter until Cure Crimson showed up so save the day.

Speaking of the devil, Cure Crimson arrived on cue and proceeded to wipe the floor the Saiark. It is safe to say that the battle was quickly concluded, as expected.

This time, I nervously crept out of my hiding place and cautiously made my way to the group. My heart was racing and my breathing was tense as I quietly took one step at a time towards what might be certain death. I stopped moving when Crimson turned around, my limbs literally frozen in place. She didn't seem as angry as before though; she closed her eyes and let her head fall a little, perhaps resigning to the fact that there was no point in repeating events again.

Sensing no overt hostility so far, I gathered my courage and strode up to her. "What the hell was that for?"

"Oh, you know damn well what the hell that was for," she snapped back. The other four Cures were eyeing us curiously, but hadn't done anything to intervene. That was understandable, of course, since they didn't even know what this whole fiasco was about.

"So that's it? Payback? Just petty revenge on what was just an accident on my part?"

"Accident?" Her voice was filled with rage but trembled at the same time. "You think this is just about the stupid stunt you pulled despite me telling you to stay away from the fight? How many times has it been, Ken? How many times have we been through this, until we started to gain a bit of ground, and then you suddenly pull that type of bullshit on me?"

"Wait…" I blinked. "What do you mean, how many times?"

"You… you really don't remember, do you?" She threw her hands up in the air, clearly exasperated.

"Sorry. Just to clarify, this isn't the _third_ time we're meeting each other like this?"

She simply stared at me, her mouth agape just before she covered it with both hands. After a brief moment of silence, she finally composed herself. "You've really forgotten everything, haven't you? What happened to you, Ken? How could you have lost your memories at such a crucial juncture?"

I took that as a yes, I have met her more than three times. She wasn't just some past acquaintance that I may have met, but possibly a comrade or friend whom I had known for… how many loops already? And if that is the case, how did I forget? I wracked my brain trying to remember, but drew a complete blank. My hand unconsciously rose up to my head, as if expecting another episode of headaches, but there was no throbbing pain. Then it struck me – the memory loss and the headaches were related. But for what reason? What was the source? The mystery thickened.

"I'm sorry," I said to her. "How many times did we… you know…?"

"A few dozen, maybe. I lost count." She shook her head dejectedly, her hands dropping helplessly to her sides.

"What was this crucial juncture you were alluding to? Did we discover something important? Was it something about a monolith?"

She nodded her response.

"But then I lost my memories after that. It must have been very important enough that someone – or something – took the trouble to make sure I did not remember."

Her face seemed to light up with a little bit of hope at the realisation of my words. "If that's true, it means we're on a right track. At least that counts for something."

"I'm sorry that I have caused you so much trouble that last time, but let's try to work this out together again?" I extended my hand out as a gesture of friendship. She was hesitant at first, but finally reached out and shook my hand. I cupped my other hand over hers and looked her straight in the eye. "Let's thoroughly investigate this monolith, whatever it is, properly this time. Together."

We felt a hand come in between us, containing two neatly wrapped pieces of honey candy.

"Now that you two have kissed and made up, have some honey candy," Yuuko said, her face beaming with a wide smile.

"That's not what it looks like!" the both of us found ourselves screaming.

* * *

"No. Absolutely not."

We stood outside the entrance of Omori Gohan while the rest of the girls were inside. They had decided to have lunch together back at The Embassy while I tried to talk to Marisu some more.

"What's stopping you from joining the team?"

Marisu shook her head vigorously. "You may not remember it, but it was you yourself who told me not to join the team. In your own words, I would get in the way of canon and mess everything up just by being at the right place at the wrong time."

"But what about Marie? And Mari? Even without you, the two of them alone will already wreak havoc with the timeline. As least with you on the team, we will have a strong ally to deal with those two."

"Indeed, they are a problem." Marisu sighed and stared blankly at the ground for a moment. "You see, they weren't here before."

This was when I realised the consequences of her words. I remembered when Marie made her first appearance, Marisu did indeed mention that she hadn't seen her before. The implications were severe. I stared back at Marisu who had observed my reaction and nodded her head in response. "Yes Ken. Something is interfering with us, this world, and the timelines. Whatever you had discovered from the previous timeline, was so important that it resorted to wiping your memories and sending two new enemies to get in our way."

"What about Cure Despair?" I asked.

"It always ended with Despair." She let her head drop down solemnly. "She's a fixed constant in each and every timeline and we've never made it past her."

"Cure Despair…" I muttered under my breath. "Who the hell is she anyway?"

"I don't know. We don't know." Marisu clenched her fist tightly. "But she's always there, waiting for us after Cure Tender, like some kind of accursed witch out for blood."

"So that's our goal, huh?"

She nodded. "Somehow or other, the both of us need to keep improving ourselves until we are able to get past Cure Despair. I need to get stronger. You, on the other hand, need to keep investigating and stay out of trouble. That is why I was so vehemently opposed to you running into trouble like some wannabe hero with no sense of proportion."

"Sorry about that." I sheepishly rubbed my hand on the back of my head. She was right. She was the muscle and I was the brain. We should be working together as a unit to solve our problems instead of acting independently. "So the way I see it, these are our objectives. The primary objective is to defeat Cure Despair. In order to do that, you have to keep going at it and keep getting stronger. The secondary goal is to maintain the timeline. This benefits us because if the Happiness Charge team unlocks Axia and gains their Innocent Forms, they would be strong enough to help deal with the eventual confrontation with Despair and Tender."

Marisu let out a faint smile. "Finally, you sound like your old self again."

"Then all the more reason to speak to Blue," I said. "With the addition of Cure Sparkle and Cure Twilight to team Despair, we're gonna need to prepare the others and give them a head start in dealing with those two. So while you shouldn't join the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team as I had asked earlier, I still insist that you join us at The Embassy today to warn Blue and the others."

"Sorry for the wait," Megumi announced as she and her friends appeared out from the entrance of Omori Gohan, carrying several bags of food in their hands.

"So what have you two been talking about?" Yuuko looked at the both of us with a warm smile.

"Marisu and I have something important that we need to discuss with everyone, including Blue-sama. So let's all head back _together_?" I looked directly at Marisu.

She nodded.

* * *

We had gathered around in the living room. It was somewhat like the first time that we got together, but with the addition of Marisu to the group. Some pleasantries were exchanged, introducing Marisu and me. This time, however, the spotlight was on Marisu as everyone was very eager to know more about her and how she became a Pretty Cure. She seemed hesitant about it and did not dwell on the subject much though, exercising a lot of restraint when deciding just what about her background she wanted to divulge and what to keep to herself. She simply stated that he had the desire to protect someone and that made the _Crystal of Love_, the small magical jewel that Blue seeds the world with, to respond to her feelings and transform into a _PreChanMirror_.

Once all the pleasantries and idle banter had been exchanged, Blue, Marisu and I convened to his room, the dimension of mirrors outside of this world. I have been here before, so I didn't feel the same sense of awe and wonder as I did the first time, but I wondered how Marisu felt about the place. I looked for any signs of emotion written on her face, but she seemed very calm and natural. It's probably not her first time here.

We sat around a small table laid out in front of an array of mirrors that I could only naturally call Blue's Command Centre. The mirrors were monitoring Phantom Empire activities around the globe; some of them showed Saiarks rampaging around major cities while others followed international Precures as they intercepted and fought with the enemy. We watched these mirrors for a while until Blue seemed satisfied that the situation was under control and he spoke to us. "How can I be of assistance to you?"

Blue looked to Marisu, who in turn looked towards me. As if they had both established some kind of silent rapport, Blue turned his attention towards me and smiled, patiently waiting for me to say something.

Strategically, there are two ways to approach this. On one hand, tell the whole story bluntly. This is a high-risk approach but is also the simplest method; I can assume Blue is a person whom you do not try to fool around with, so it may be in our best interest to appear sincere and not be trying to cover anything up or be deceptive about. The other approach would be to talk in hypotheticals and analogies, all the while trying to allude to the actual situation at hand. This may help ease a person unfamiliar with the concepts of time loops better, but risks all manner of misunderstandings.

So I chose the middle ground. I told Blue the story of two individuals – a boy and a girl – who had experienced the same time period again. I explained how the boy was actually a visitor from another world, unwittingly dropped into this world by forces unknown to participate in the canon events for unknown reason. This boy had foreknowledge about the timeline – not because he was from the future, but because the story had already been told and written in books like a fairy tale. However, he noticed things starting to divert from the real story the moment he had arrived, and things became worse once two more individuals had come and integrated themselves into the world. Things that were meant to be never came to pass, and because of this the heroes and heroines of this world would not grow strong enough and powerful enough to overcome the various obstacles that they would face in the times to come. Finally, at the time of a climactic battle between good and evil, evil had triumphed and would bring about the end of a world, only for the story's two protagonists to experience another time loop. It is as if they were being offered a second chance to make things right, so they formed an alliance to work with one another and try preserve the proper storyline.

"So basically, Ken is that boy and Marisu is the girl in the story?"

Marisu and I both nodded to Blue's observations.

"Fascinating…" Blue was lost in thought for a moment before he finally spoke again. "If I were a god of time, I would have been able to sense all the meddling that you imply had occurred. Unfortunately I am but a god of the Earth, who is also bound by the laws of time itself. But I digress. Who are the two interlopers that you speak of, and what benefit does their interference serve?"

"That's the part that I don't fully understand either," I said while scratching my head. "Soon… probably tomorrow, Hime will get a visit from a long lost sister she never knew she had. And then in the following days, Seiji will meet a distant cousin who has come stay in Pikarigaoka. They will reveal themselves to be Cure Sparkle and Cure Twilight respectively, and err… for a lack of better term… their main objective seems to be… ah… _romance_." I couldn't avoid shifting my weight a little in discomfort as I said that last sentence.

Blue raised an eyebrow. "Romance with whom?"

Now that question was one that I hoped would never come to light, because for the life of me I wouldn't be able to tell it straight in his face. What would he think of me, and would he even believe me in the first place? "Well…"

"That's beside the point," Marisu interrupted. "The fact remains that we have outsiders coming into this world and meddling with the timeline, as if intentionally trying to steer it towards a bad end."

Blue was silent again, his eyes looking downward, deep in thought. "That's quite a story the two of you have. I can't say for certain what I should do about it now, but I believe it warrants some attention. Ken, Marisu, I would advise that you do not act on your own for now as I would like to observe the situation for the next few days."

"Shouldn't we warn Megumi and the others?"

"I'd like you both to keep this information from them for the time being. The situation seems complicated enough that I will need to observe things before deciding on it."

I didn't like that answer at all. So we were supposed to just sit on our rear ends for a few days while Marie and Miss Sugimoto danced around in our theatre and upstage the real stars of the show? I suspected that Blue was either not comprehending the severity of the situation, or that he wasn't fully convinced about our story and wanted to confirm things with his own eyes first. Either way, inaction on either part of us will most likely result in yet another bad end. I needed to convince Blue right there and then.

"Thank you for your time, Blue-sama." Marisu bowed and then got up, preparing to leave before I had a chance to argue my point any further.

"Marisu, wait!"

"What's more to be said? Blue has already given us his answer. I still have a lot of work to do, so I'd rather not waste any more time chatting and start getting things done." With that, she took her leave. Without waiting for me to respond, she left through one of the mirrors at the back of the room.

"I'm sorry about Marisu," I muttered softly.

"You do not need to apologise for her behaviour, Ken." Blue got up and waved his hand at the mirrors in front of him. Some of the mirrors remained unchanged while a few others showed new scenes in other foreign countries. Precures were fighting against Saiarks and generals whom I have never seen before. Blue observed them fight for a while before turning back towards me. "Do you know what it takes to be a Pretty Cure?"

I wracked my brain for a suitable answer. "A kind and passionate heart with the desire and conviction to protect someone or something precious?"

"So you'll understand why I am hesitant to act against Cure Sparkle and Cure Twilight. I do not think for even a moment that they may harbour any malicious intent of their own. At most, they may be just be misguided, and if that is the case then it shall fall upon me to try and guide them back onto the correct path."

I was seriously tempted to roll my eyes, but managed to stifle any sort of physical reaction to that. Blue hasn't heard the way they threatened me, nor how they tried to kill me. Heck, I don't even know how those two could even become Precures in the first place. In any case, I don't think he'll listen even if I tried to tell him how they backstabbed Marisu and me during the fight with that dark Cure, Despair. On the other hand, he did have a point. Queen Mirage was once a Pretty Cure too, misguided by the wrong feelings and led down a dark path. If Blue still had faith in Mirage, he probably would try to put faith in Sparkle and Twilight as well. I suppose that's why Marisu just left instead of continually waste her time here. It is true that she was busy and had better things to do, but some part of me was still convinced that getting Blue on our side was the key to victory. Without raising that flag, the path to a good ending may not present itself to us anytime soon. In any case, the conversation here was effectively over and if I wanted to make another attempt, I should wait for another opportunity to present itself.

"Alright, I understand. Thanks for taking the time to listen to us, Blue-sama." I bowed and turned around to take my leave. All this while, I continued to wrack my mind for ideas to turn this situation around, but to no avail. I was about to accept defeat and walk through the mirror leading back to the living room of The Embassy when an idea crossed my mind. "Say… Blue-sama…"

"What is it, Ken?" Blue answered in his usual, mild-mannered form.

"Let's say hypothetically, if we meet again in another time loop. Would there be any chance that you'll be able to remember this conversation at all?"

Blue thought about it for a moment, then smiled and got up. He cupped his hands close to his chest. Something began to glow, lighting up his hands and face with a soft, red light. Finally, he extended his right hand and offered something to me. It was a round and red. "Keep this with you at all times. If you ever see me again in another timeline, show it to my alternate self and maybe he will be more proactive about your story."

I took the little gem out from his open hand and pocketed it. "Thank you, Blue-sama," I said before bowing for a second time and then leaving through the mirror.

"Oh, you're back, Ken," Megumi greeted. Hime was sitting across her, looking down nervously and avoiding eye contact with me. No one else seemed to be around.

"Where's Marisu?" I asked.

"Oh, she's already left. By the way, we've prepared a room for you here, and Iona wants to take you out later to get essentials and supplies for your stay here."

"Thanks a lot, Megumi. I appreciate it."

Well, so much for working together… I guess?

* * *

**Author's Note**: So I thought about listing out all the known references that I have used at the end of each chapter. Some people may like it; I know I do enjoy spotting references in the fics that I read, and it is nice to have a list at the end to "keep score". In any case, I have also retroactively updated all my earlier chapters to add the reference list (when applicable).

_All You Need is Ken_ is a reference to the light novel _All You Need is Kill_, which also involves a repeating time loop for a male and female protagonist. It was also adapted into the movie _Edge of Tomorrow_ starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

The overturned cart of cabbages is a reference to _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ which had a cabbage merchant who was always at the right place at the wrong time for comedic effect.

_Just another Tuesday_ is a reference to the _Street Fighter_ movie, where M. Bison remarked to Chun Li that the day he attacking her village and killed her parents was "just a Tuesday".

In _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_, Akemi Homura looped over and over again in an attempt to overcome a fixed and unsurmountable opponent, the witch _Walpurgisnacht_.

In _Smile Pretty Cure_, the goal of the antagonists was to steer the world towards the worst possible _Bad End_.

In the first _Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage_ movie, Cure Beat and Cure Muse said that any girl can become a Precure as long as they had a passionate and kind heart that wanted to protect her friends.


	10. Maybe Gonna Fly Now

**Chapter 10: Maybe Gonna Fly Now**

It never occurred to me how incredibly tedious, and often mentally taxing, living through the same timeline could be. It was often the mundane, predictable things like waking up, having meals and work that was the hardest to accept and get through. Sometimes, one needed to resist the temptation of trying to do something completely different, just to spite the boring, tedious routine. Diverting can be disastrous; it often takes just the slightest misstep to lead the timeline down a new, different and unpredictable path. So I had to persevere and just get on with it, because this time I had a purpose. I had very important tasks to attend to and I could not let minor things like boring routines from stopping me.

"Hi hi!"

Yep, you've guessed it. It was _her_ again, in her most annoying _genki girl_ impersonation. "I'm Marie-Sueanna Window Cure Diva of the Blue Sky. Pleased to meet you, err…"

_Your worst nightmare_. _Gojira_. _Ken Washio_. I was so tempted to just let loose and screw around with her right there and then, but fortunately the more logical and pragmatic side of me intervened. "Ken," I answered, carefully watching her for any signs of recognition or indifference.

"Pleased to meet you, Ken!" There was that nauseating, _cutesy_ wink again. Either she's very good at it, or she's really part of the resetting timeline, and thus forgetting everything that she had done. There were advantages to both possibilities that I could capitalise on for a strategic advantage, but until I could ascertain the truth none of this mere speculation mattered. I just had to play along while carefully observing Marie and covertly subverting her plans before she could even act upon them. I knew her full itinerary, after all; if she was to go out with Megumi one day, I'd make plans with Megumi the day before. If she deviated from that, then I would instantly know that she retained her memories from the past timeline and was just playing along like myself.

Miss Sugimoto, on the other hand, was a more problematic individual. I didn't encounter her that often in the previous timeline, so I couldn't predict her actions as well as Marie's. Therefore she might be the one with the greater potential to cause trouble for us. I resolved to focus more of my attention on her; as far as I knew, she was targeting Blue so I should be spending more time at The Embassy to keep a lookout for this one.

In any case, I found myself at the park with Megumi again, after Yuuko had shuffled us out of Omori Gohan. The last time we were here, we only managed to have a brief chat before a Saiark attack interrupted our conversation. I thought carefully about what I wanted to say to Megumi this time.

"That Marie… she's a strange one, isn't she?"

"She's certainly different… quite nothing like Hime at all." Megumi smiled sheepishly.

"To be frank, I don't trust her at all. I feel like she's just putting up a friendly act in front of us all. Her behaviour just seemed forced and unnatural. And how did she even come here from the Blue Sky Kingdom? Wasn't the place already conquered by the Phantom Empire? How did she evade capture and come here?"

"Isn't that a bit harsh, Ken?" Megumi glared, her brows furled. "You're not giving her a chance at all."

"I apologise for my rudeness, but I feel that I must make a stand. Everyone seems to be accepting her too openly. What if she's a spy for Queen Mirage? What if she's another Phantom Empire general, sent to secretly infiltrate the Happiness Charge team?"

"I understand your concern, Ken, but this is enough." She looked quite cross at me this time.

I raised both hands to indicate defeat. "Look, I'll stop now. I'm really sorry that I have to be _the one_ who has to do this. But please think about what I have said, alright? I'm not asking you to treat her as an enemy just like that. Just exercise a little caution with her, okay? I assure you that I do not mean any ill will towards any of you; I'm just concerned about you and your friends, and that's the honest truth."

"I'll think about it." He glare hadn't fully gone away yet, but at least she had begun to relax a little.

That was good enough for me. I didn't know if that would make any difference, but it was a start. "Thanks, Megumi. And I'm truly sorry for being a jerk about this."

Before she had time to respond, the sound of an explosion announced the arrival of the Saiark. We both turned to look in the direction of the shopping district. A column of smoke could be seen rising over the buildings. I knew that Hime would already be at the scene and fighting alongside Cure Sparkle. Our arrival at the scene wouldn't have any impact on the outcome, but if that's how the timeline goes then I had to play along too.

"I think it came from the shopping district," Megumi announced.

"Yep. Let's get moving."

* * *

The day Sagara Seiji introduced his _distant cousin_ Sugimoto Mari, I could tell that she would be a difficult one to deal with. Her timid personality was an automatic defence mechanism against any sort of scrutiny or doubt. It would be a near-impossible task to try and convince the group that this shy and harmless-looking girl could be a serious threat to the world. So I resolved to remain quiet and observed everything about her as much as I could. If there were any signs of weakness or inconsistency, I needed to know. More importantly, I needed to know if this was a fake personality or her real one. And if it were her true self, then what in the nine realms was such a person even doing, allying herself with what amounts to an evil team like that?

But from the last experience, one thing is certain. The presence of these two interfered with the development of the Happiness Charge team. Regardless of their actual motives, they needed to be stopped. So I did something bold. Perhaps a bit too bold, in retrospect.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The voice of Marie rang from behind me as I was quietly following Miss Sugimoto around during one of her daily routines. Her voice was strong enough that it even alerted my quarry, who stopped and skittishly shot a glance at me.

"Just taking a walk?" I answered as casually as I could muster. "Oh hey, Sugimoto-san! What a coincidence!"

That caused Miss Sugimoto to flinch, though she made no attempt to approach. Marie, on the other hand, strode right up and grabbed me by the collar. "Please don't lie to me. I don't like liars." It was her dead serious look and tone that bothered me more than the threat of physical abuse. When she was with the rest of the team she'd be all happy fluffy bunnies like a typical _genki girl_ but here, she was making threats.

"What I'd like to know is what you two are up to," I said, trying to put up a brave front. "What's your angle in this? What do you hope to achieve by hooking up with Megumi and Blue?"

"Oh, he thinks he's a smart one." She motioned for Miss Sugimoto to approach, and she duly complied.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Well, you'd better be." Her grip tightened, and I could feel myself being lifted off my feet.

"You still haven't answered me yet."

The atmosphere was tense, but I was as calm as a rock. Over at the corner of my eye, I could see another figure lurking over in the rooftops. In fact, I had seen her perched there for some time already, thus bolstering my confidence. Marisu had my back, and so I could do my utmost best to try and pry some information out of these two. "I said, you still haven't answered me yet. What's so special about Megumi and Blue? What's all this really about?"

I felt Marie flinch and shift her posture a little, as her eyes turned towards something behind me. Her grip on me lessened and my feet slowly touched the ground again. "Well, it looks like your time hasn't come yet."

I followed her gaze and nearly jumped in surprise. It was _her_. Dressed in her dark goth cosplay outfit, she beckoned for Marie to come over. A faint crunching of gravel behind me, quickly followed by a gentle rush of air, could only mean that Marisu had just dropped down from the rooftops behind me. "Be careful," she whispered.

I looked at the goth girl straight in the eye. "Who are you and what do you want?"

She simply stared at us with a deadpan expression, while Marie and Miss Sugimoto proceeded to walk away. "Bye bye, see you again next time!" Marie playfully cooed in her disgusting happiness-charged tone.

I watched as Marie and Miss Sugimoto disappear around the corner. Goth girl here, on the other hand, was as still as a rock. "So you're just going to stare us to death?"

"The parameters for conflict and death have not yet been met," she finally said in the most unremarkable tone, as if she wasn't even putting in any effort to articulate any form of eloquence in her speech pattern. Then with a wave of a hand, she dematerialised before we could do anything else. Why do the villains always get these kind of cool exit moves?

"That was exceedingly dangerous, Ken."

"You've been stalking," I replied, slowly turning around to face Marisu.

"Of course." She gently pressed her hand against her head. "Imagine what would have happened if I wasn't here."

"But I knew you were up there, standing guard. That's why I had the confidence to press harder for answers." I looked down and shook my head. "Unfortunately we still have gotten anywhere at all."

"At least we now have actual confirmation that the three of them are working together," she replied with a smile. On second thought, make that a mischievous grin. "Good job, Ken. But don't do it again or I'll be forced to charge you with reckless endangerment resulting in death by broken neck."

I don't know if she was joking or not with that last bit. I decided that I did _not_ want to know.

* * *

Phantom's invasion of Pikarigaoka came right on schedule. Saiarks flooded the town, turning a once peaceful community into a ghost town littered with sarcophagi-like mirrors and giant, rampaging monsters. On cue, Marie transformed into Cure Sparkle and sped out of Omori Gohan without a single word. That left me to my own devices and instead of repeating the same events again, I decided to check up on a hunch.

The path back to The Embassy wasn't as dangerous as I had expected, and I made it back within reasonable time. No doubt the Happiness Charge team, along with Cure Crimson, still had their hands full with the deadly Phantom Empire general so I proceeded to enter with caution. There was no telling what would happen and if anything did, Marisu wouldn't be at my side to protect me from harm's way. Not that I wanted her to do that, though. Her neck-breaking joke still rang clearly in my head.

The living room wasn't empty when I arrived, confirming my suspicions. "Mari," I said.

Miss Sugimoto looked up from her empty cup, only to recoil and sit further back up, holding the tea cup close to her chest. "What… what are you doing here?"

"That's what I wanted to ask of you," I answered as I took a seat opposite her.

"Well… there are Saiarks all around. S-someone has to stay and… and stand guard." Her eyes continually darted from her teacup to the table, to her feet, and to the window behind me, but never straight towards me.

Just then, Blue came in from the kitchen, carrying a tray with a tea pot and another cup. "Oh Ken, I didn't notice you come in," he said, setting the tray down on the table. "I'll go get you a cup."

Once Blue was out of earshot, I leaned forward and tried to look her straight in the eye. It was an exercise in futility, of course, like the two opposing poles of a magnet. She stared at everything but me. "So tell me, what's all this about anyway? Do you really like Blue-sama that much? Or is there an ulterior motive in there?"

It seemed that I might have struck a nerve, as her expression darkened and she clutched at her teacup even tighter.

"Look, I can see that you're not the kind of girl who would get herself caught up in this for no good reason. Please, tell me what's really going on. Besides, Marie and death goth chick aren't here right now. You can tell me, can't you?"

"P-please. Leave me alone." She stared blankly at the floor and for a moment, I thought I could get to her. She could be the enemy's weak link that I might be able to use to break through. Well, it was a nice but fleeting thought, because of what she said next. "Or I'll cry and Blue will hate you forever."

We heard Blue come back out from the kitchen, carrying an extra teacup in hand. He placed this one on the table in front of me and proceeded to fill it up with hot, fragrant tea. I thanked him and picked it up.

"Where's Marie, by the way?" I asked before gently blowing at the surface of the hot tea.

Miss Sugimoto picked up her cup and shifted closer towards Blue. "She… she's out there somewhere. Looking for survivors, perhaps."

With Blue back in the living room, I could no longer carry on with my interrogation and so I let things be for now, content to quietly observe the interactions between Miss Sugimoto and the earth god. Blue seemed a little more hesitant than his usual self, and even consciously maintaining his distance from Miss Sugimoto. Was there an embarrassment factor involved due to my presence, or was he actually heeding my advice from before and is being cautious with this girl? I hoped to observe more, but apparently the battle was already over and the rest of the girls streamed back into the living room. Megumi and Hime collapsed onto the sofa to rest, so I got up to give them some space. Yuuko headed into the kitchen, while Iona walked straight up towards me. "We need to talk," she whispered.

I quietly nodded, keeping my eyes on Miss Sugimoto to make sure that she wasn't watching. Iona then led me into the kitchen, where Yuuko was already expecting us.

"So, what's all this about?" I had some suspicions, of course, but I'd rather hear them out first.

Iona walked over to the stove to stand beside Yuuko, who patiently waited with her arms folded across her chest. Yuuko slowly scanned the room, as if looking out for anything suspicious. Finally she gave Iona the nod to speak. "Marie-Sueanna Cure Diva. Sugimoto Mari. You know about them, don't you Ken? You've been keeping an eye on them all this while, and you know that they're up to something."

I leaned back, with my back towards the door to make sure that no one else could approach without me knowing about it first. I nodded to them. "Did something happen?"

Yuuko leaned a little forward, shifting her weight in the process. "These few days Marie has been acting strange. At every opportunity she would try to attach herself to Megumi to the point that it made us all uncomfortable."

"Glasan had said something similar about Mari and Blue," Iona continued. "It's as if they're trying to take Megumi and Blue away from us."

"Don't worry about Blue-sama," I reassured her. "I'm sure that he's already well aware of things and can take care of himself. Megumi, on the other hand, will probably be needing our help, whether she asks for it or not."

"So who are they, Ken? And what do they really want?"

"I don't know. Please trust me when I say that it's very complicated, but so far I have not been able to get anything out of those two at all. Their actions are completely irrational and illogical, but at the same time are a danger to the Happiness Charge team. They're distractions that are hampering both your personal development, and your development as a team. I can't stress how important it is for all of you to continue training harder to grow in power; I imagine the fight with Phantom today could have gone better, if only you were all stronger?"

"How do you know so much?"

"I can't say at the moment. Blue's wishes, and I'd like to respect those wishes – at least for the moment. But just trust me that you all need to put aside these distractions and grow stronger. Difficult times are coming up ahead."

Iona smirked and looked at Yuuko, who could only shrug back. "This can only mean one thing."

"What's that?" Yuuko asked.

"A training camp!"

* * *

Thanks to not getting wounded or killed this round, I finally got to join Iona's beach training camp. Unfortunately, so did Marie and Miss Sugimoto. Marisu declined to join us, however. She said something about having other things to take care of in Pikarigaoka. It could not get any more cryptic than that, and she wouldn't care to explain any further so we dropped the subject at that point.

The cabin by the beach, belonging to Iona's dojo, was a fairly large and spacious building, surrounded by a lush green yard. The sea was just a short distance away. I could imagine myself having a lot of fun here, but had reminded myself that we were here only for training and nothing else. The fate of the world may rest on the results of these two days of activity.

Not long after we had settled in, the actual training itself came up on the itinerary. Or more accurately, Pretty Cure training, and for girls only. This left me, Seiji, Blue, Ribbon and Glasan to our own devices. I could perhaps do with some training myself, but I needed a partner to help. Seiji seemed like the right person for the task, so I approached and asked if he would like to spar with me. He gladly accepted.

Seiji and I went at each other while Blue and the two little fairies looked on. He seemed like quite a good fighter, perhaps nearly on the same level as Iona. They were both trained under the same dojo, after all, so their fighting styles were somewhat similar. However, I'd peg Iona as the one with more combat experience, as Seiji's came from sparring and tournaments where grievous harm and death weren't on the table.

"You've got a very good defence," Seiji commented after I deflected one of his well-placed kicks. I tried to counter with a punch, but he easily grabbed hold of my hand and used its momentum to throw me to the ground. "But your strikes are pathetic and need a lot of work."

I quickly sprung to my feet and kept my distance, ignoring the complaints of my bruised and aching back. "Perhaps you can teach me a few moves."

Seiji smiled. "Possibly, but I doubt that you'll be able to master anything in a single day."

I ducked out of the way of another solid punch, deflected a second one and then leapt aside before a sweep kick could drop me. "No problem. It took a lot of time and hard work to get to this level."

We kept at it for a while without realising that we had attracted quite the audience. Now all the girls had temporarily put their training on hold to watch us spar. Well, it still wasn't much of a spar on my end anyway. Despite being the adept at avoiding attacks, I could not deliver a single solid blow in response. Seiji, on the other hand, took advantage of my weak strikes to launch counters off them. It was practically a one-sided bout, and I found myself greeting the ground more often than I had liked. After tiring ourselves out, I suggested we call it a day.

Megumi ran up to us and offered two bottles of water, one for each of us. After thanking her, she ran back to the girls, who went off to resume training.

"That was a good workout," I said while twisting the cap of the bottle open.

"Your moves. They seemed a little bit familiar," Seiji said as he opened his drink. "Who trained you?"

"Would you believe it if I said someone similar to Iona did?" Okay, so I might have just ventured into weird territory with that comment.

"I don't know," Seiji answered, taking a sip from his water bottle. "I may not be fully involved, but I've been hearing stories about you and that other girl, Marisu. Blue-sama has been pushing the girls to get stronger and train harder too. From what I've heard, he's preparing them to face a very strong enemy that will appear one day."

"Ah well… it's good to hear that he's taken our advice then," I said, finishing my water and placing the empty bottle by my side. "By the way, Seiji, what do you think of your cousin, Mari?"

My question elicited a brief pause from Seiji before he replied. "I don't really know. I'm not really close to her or her parents, but she seems keen to stick around us. Like she's got some ulterior motive to be here."

"It's a little bit suspicious, is what you are saying." I awaited intently for his response.

"I don't know," he replied after thinking about it for a moment. "Maybe. Usually I would be admonishing you for having such views about her, but I think Yuuko and Iona are also harbouring some suspicions too. You're somewhat involved in this too, aren't you?"

"Since you've already got the gist of it, I'm going to say it right out – yes, she isn't what she seems and I'd be wary of her. We still don't know what's her deal, or with Marie, but we need to keep an eye on them both."

Seiji nodded, his eyes following the girls as they acted out their Pretty Cure attacks at the beach. As they trained, both Marie and Miss Sugimoto sat by the sidelines, content to watch the girls practice their moves to perfection. Once in a while, Marie would attempt to cheer Megumi on, while Miss Sugimoto would shoot a glance in our direction. It was either a very cleverly coordinated tactic to keep an eye on me, or there's just something different about Miss Sugimoto that I haven't caught on yet. That little encounter with her during Phantom's invasion still lingered fresh in my mind, and I wondered if I there was still more ground that I could have covered.

The rest of the training, and the barbecue food fest that ensued at the end of the day, went as well as I had expected. I heard that they had a brief skirmish with a Phantom Empire general and a Saiark over at the neighbouring stretch of beach, but it was insignificant enough to me that I didn't pay further heed to. It was a canon encounter, after all, and I would have been more concerned if the fight didn't happen. In the grand scheme of things, this timeline was progressing reasonably well enough and that was all that mattered.

The remaining events that occurred at night, the next day and the trip back home went by as uneventfully as far as canon was concerned.

* * *

Soon the time came for the Precures to visit Hawaii. This was a girls-only trip, so all the guys stayed back. I didn't mind; I had something important to accomplish at this time. As for Marie and Miss Sugimoto, both Yuuko and Iona had reassured me that they'll keep an eye on things at their end so I was free to pursue my own agenda here at The Embassy. I went up to the mirror in the living room and gave it a knock.

"Hello Ken, how may I help you?"

I stepped back to give Blue some space as he appeared out of the mirror. Once we had made ourselves comfortable in the living room, I asked, "Blue-sama, do you think the girls are ready to awaken the power of the _Shining Make Dresser_ yet?"

Blue smiled. "Perhaps. The girls have worked hard to reach the level that they are at now."

"That's cool," I remarked. "Maybe we could accelerate things when they get back."

"You seem… rather keen," Blue mused.

"Yeah, of course," I replied. "We need them to get stronger, to prepare them for what's to come."

Blue walked over to the window and stared out into the wide, open space. "For what's to come, huh?" He folded his hands into his chest and let out a long, deep breath. "You haven't given me the full details of what's to come."

"Right. Before, I didn't fully trust that you would believe me after your original response. However, I believe by now you've come to see for yourself just how strange and illogical both Marie-Sueanna Cure Window and Sugimoto Mari's behaviour are. Mari, in particular, has been giving you some trouble of sorts, hasn't she?"

Blue let out a soft chuckle, one that you'd not notice if you weren't paying any attention towards. "Yes, I see now what you have been warning me about. And yes, it is all so illogical that I cannot fathom any explanation myself."

"In any case, what's to come is a dark Cure by the name of Despair. She is the most powerful Cure that we have ever seen."

"Cure Despair." Blue muttered that name slowly. "I wonder if _he_ has anything to do with this…"

"Who's he?"

"Sorry, it's nothing. It's probably nothing at all." Blue continued to stare out the window for a very long time. I wondered what he was thinking. Eventually he seemed to return to his usual demeanour and said with a smile, "alright. I'll ask Hime and make the necessary preparations when they come home tonight."

Later that night, I found myself staring out the window from my room. Things have been going quite well this time around. A little too well, perhaps. I wasn't sure if that was just the paranoid side of me talking, but at the same time we still didn't know much about the forces that were working against us. Just three more key events were to take place – the ceremony for the _Shining Make Dresser_, the attack of Phantom as Cure Unlovely, and then the simultaneous attack of Cure Tender and Cure Despair. We had to be ready by the time that third event took place.

I gave the view outside the window one final look before retiring to bed. It looks like I wouldn't be getting a visit from Marisu today.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: I hope this chapter hasn't been too _talky_. I also glossed over Megumi's cold and the train ride back from the beach because I didn't plan for anything out-of-canon to happen then, and this chapter was already getting longer than I wanted for what's purely a development chapter. Anyways, on to the references...

_Gonna Fly Now_ is the theme from the movie Rocky.

_Ken Washio_ is the leader of the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.

The nine realms is a reference to Norse Cosmology, and also related to Thor (of Marvel comics).

Besides Marie, another character who changed tone between saccharine-rich enthusiasm and professional cold-blooded killer was the bunny girl teacher in the anime Absolute Duo. Even though this story was drafted out before that series had even started, I'd thought I mention it because their personalities are so alike.


	11. Interference

**Chapter 11: Interference**

Today, we were all gathered at the Pikari shrine for a very special ceremony. Hime wore a long, flowing white dress which Ribbon introduced as the royal clothes of the Blue Sky Kingdom. Megumi was ogling over the princess while Yuuko, Iona, Seiji and I looked on nearby. Blue was at the shrine itself, standing behind a pedestal at the entrance of the _haiden_, holding on to a small wooden casket with gold trims and a heart-shaped latch. This was Axia, once the prison that held the Phantom Empire until they were unwittingly released, resulting in the calamity that the world now faced. Marie and Miss Sugimoto were both seated underneath a nearby tree.

As Blue carefully set Axia onto the pedestal and motioned for the ceremony to begin, I walked over to the pair. "Got a spot for me?"

"Whatever." Marie lazily gestured to a spot beside her. Miss Sugimoto, on the other hand, paid me no heed, staring aimlessly at her fingers.

I sat on the soft, grassy patch beside Marie and watched the events unfold. The ceremony began with Hime performing a dance. Her movements were slow and graceful, occasionally punctuated by the ringing of the _suzu_, a bell-like instrument in her hand. The ceremony felt very much like a Shinto ritual. The two girls beside me seemed to look disinterested though. "So, what's the story between you two?"

"Shush." Marie held her index finger up to her lips. "This is a _sacred_ ceremony, after all."

I knew she was just being evasive, so I continued pressing them. "Oh come on, I know that you aren't taking this seriously at all. Humour me a little. The two of you seem close; are you best friends or something?"

"That's none of your business." Marie's gaze turned towards the dance. I caught a glimpse of Miss Sugimoto throwing me a quick look, but when she noticed me stare she hurriedly went back to her finger-staring fetish, or whatever it is she was doing.

"Mari-" I began, only to be interrupted again.

Seiji cleared his throat. When did he come over anyway? In any case, it looked like that was my cue to shut up and quietly watch the ceremony. I also paid no attention to Marie's snicker.

As Hime danced, she was bathed in a column of white light. Everyone watched in awe; even Miss Sugimoto looked up, transfixed to the event. The princess of the Blue Sky Kingdom spread her hands wide open and, in unison with Blue, they focused this manifested power onto the wooden casket. Axia was bathed in the soft, white glow. Any time now, and Axia's power would be unleashed.

"That's not going to happen!"

I could not help but let out an audible sigh when we heard Hosshiwa's voice. It was a beautiful moment while it lasted, and even though I knew that this would canonically happen, it was still a major let-down to have her interrupt the ceremony like that.

The three Phantom Empire generals Hosshiwa, Oresky and Namakelder stood at the _torii_ of the shrine. Megumi, Yuuko and Iona instantly sprang into action, interposing themselves to protect Hime and Blue while drawing their _PreChanMirrors_ and… hold on just a second. That wasn't right at all. Why was Iona still using a _PreChanMirror_? Canonically, that device belonged to her sister. By this time, she should have gotten her own transformation device already. So, what did we miss? How could I have overlooked such a glaring detail? In any case, I didn't have the luxury of time to dwell on it. What's important was, would the three of them still be strong enough to hold off the generals?

I turned to the slacker beside me. Her partner, Miss Sugimoto, was already on her feet but seemed rather hesitant on acting. "Are you two gonna help out or just hang around and watch?"

"I think they'll have everything under control," Marie replied as she slowly got on her feet. "But I suppose it'll make us look bad if we didn't do anything at all."

Marie and Miss Sugimoto drew their _PreChanMirrors_ as the Cures Lovely, Honey and Iona leapt into battle. Oresky was the first of the generals to charge in and made a beeline towards Cure Fortune with a flurry of punches in tow. Hosshiwa lunged towards Cure Honey with her umbrella drawn, wielding it like a rapier. Namakelder was predictably the last to act, twirling his walking stick in a nonchalant manner as he positioned himself to intercept Cure Lovely.

As the three Cures fought, Blue ushered Hime to continue her dance. Unlocking Axia's power and releasing the _Shining Make Dresser_ was a crucial objective that they had to achieve, if they were to have any chance at all in defeating the three generals as well as face Cure Tender and Despair later in the timeline.

Namakelder may be a slacker, but he was no pushover when push came to shove. Expertly handling his walking stick like a short sword, he parried blow after blow from Cure Lovely with ease. With a parry and a quick riposte, he turned the tables on pink Precure and now, she was on the defensive. Lunging towards her, he swung and stabbed in quick rapid successions, forcing Lovely to back off while protecting herself from those calculated strikes with her arms. And then Marie, as Cure Sparkle, descended upon the Phantom Empire general and turned the tables on him instead.

Not far away, Cure Honey was being tied up with the sweets and desserts general, Hosshiwa. Their respective weapons clashed multiple times, and though both sides were unable to break through each other's defences, the Phantom Empire general was slowly gaining ground by forcing the yellow Precure back with each renewed attack. Hosshiwa made another calculated thrust, executed with acrobatic flair and lightning speed. Honey barely managed to raise her baton in time to intercept the blow, and then they were locked in a tense standoff as their weapons scraped against one another, neither side willing to back off. It was Miss Sugimoto, as Cure Twilight, who then joined the fray and broke the stalemate.

Cure Fortune, strongest member of the Happiness Charge team, was locked in a deadly duel with the militaristic Oresky. He was very strong, able to parry Fortune's powerful strikes with his bare hands. He fought back with equal amounts of tenacity too, often forcing the purple Precure's hand for some before she managed to counter-attack and regain the upper hand. This back-and-forth went on for a few rounds before a lucky opening had her land a roundhouse kick on the general's exposed back, sending him reeling. She immediately closed in with her fist ready to rise. Purple energy flared from her palm as she call forth _Fortune Star Burst_, delivering a concentrated dose of purifying energy right into the midsection of the stunned Phantom Empire general.

Cures Lovely and Honey quickly followed Fortune's lead, firing off purifying attacks of their own while Sparkle and Twilight simply looked on. The combined might of the three Cures should have completely purified the three generals, at least in theory. But I was suddenly filled with an inexplicable sense of rage, as if my very emotions were about to explode outward. That sensation lasted but for a fraction of a second, and a quick glance at everyone confirmed that they had felt it too. However brief that moment was, the lasting effects of that presence was immediately apparent. The three Phantom Empire generals stood, unscathed, ready for another round of battle.

Before the battle would commence a second time, however, a brilliant white light surrounded us all. The source of the light was Hime and Blue. Combining their powers, they focused all their energies onto Axia, and it too shone in blinding white light. We were too transfixed on this magnificent scene to bother listening to whatever snide remarks the Phantom Empire generals had to say before they dematerialised, fleeing from Axia's true power before they could be affected by its purifying power. Once the light had gone out, in Axia's place was a pink and white jewellery box embellished with various Pretty Cure motives such as heart-shaped gems. The _Shining Make Dresser_, the Precure's next level of power and evolution, has been unleashed.

Over at a distant corner of the shrine, the familiar silhouette of Cure Crimson turned to leave, content on watching and knowing that the mission was a success.

* * *

"Are you ready for what's to coming?"

I felt a bit of nostalgia, sitting on the bench by the river with Marisu arriving to say those words to me. "I feel like I'm never going to be fully prepared for any of this. All I can do is do my best and hope."

"Ken, the people who die all did their best."

Where did I hear something like that before? Regardless, it was a strange thing to say. "Is that supposed to encourage me?"

Marisu chuckled. "No. But it's the truth of the matter."

Soon, Phantom would come to Pikarigaoka again, this time with the mission to eliminate Blue and Cure Lovely. However, thanks to the power of the _Shining Make Dresser_, I was confident that the Happiness Charge team would be able to handle him – even with his shadow-manipulating techniques which allowed him to turn into Cure Unlovely. Besides, the team also had Cure Crimson on their side, if anything went wrong. At least that was the gist of the plan. While Crimson and the rest of the Happiness Charge Precures were occupied with Unlovely, I had an even more harrowing task at hand. My objective was to try and find Miss Sugimoto and try to talk some sense into her again. I just hoped that her partner in crime, Marie, wasn't present. If Blue wouldn't give up on those two, then I suppose I should also give them a chance and from all my interactions between the two of them, it seemed that my best angle of approach involved Miss Sugimoto.

On cue, an explosion somewhere further up heralded the arrival of Phantom. Megumi and the rest were probably either en route or already on site. Marisu nimbly slotted her three primary _PreCards_ into her _PreChanMirror_ and transformed into her Pretty Cure form.

"You've got this, haven't you?"

She nodded, then leapt skyward, kicking up a pile of dust in the wake of her trail. I turned around and headed back to The Embassy to confirm if there were any delinquents loitering around. My hunch was proven correct when I arrived to find Miss Sugimoto loitering around in the living room, sipping a cup of tea all by herself.

I waved at the girl. "Yo!" She flinched, but continued staring at her tea, trying her utmost best at pretending to be uninterested.

"So… all alone today?" I scanned the room for signs of her other half. She was indeed apparently alone as far as my senses could tell. "Where's Marie today?"

"She's busy," the timid little girl answered, her attention still on the elaborate Victorian-styled teacup.

I wondered if I should continue trying to approach with small talk, or just delve right in with a full blown interrogation. She seemed like the very delicate kind; beat around the bush too much and I'd likely end up nowhere, but push too hard and she'd just clam up, halting any further attempts at progress. Talk was always more tricky than straight up punching, but since the latter wasn't my forte, I'd have to settle with the former. "Listen, I know you're here to protect Blue-sama and you seem to really care about him a lot. But it doesn't look like Marie thinks the same way. Whatever she's up to, I don't think any good will come of it. Don't you think so?"

"Don't talk about my sister like that. She's not who you think she is." Miss Sugimoto was deathly quiet immediately after saying that, but after a momentary pause her attention went back to her cup of tea, gently blowing onto its surface before taking a sip. "You should just forget about what I have just said. There's nothing that you can do that will matter anyway."

Well, that was an unexpected development of events. I knew they were close, but I hadn't thought of them as siblings. I seemed to have hit a sensitive spot, and knowing this I had to proceed even more carefully. "Sorry, I didn't realise she was your sister."

Miss Sugimoto did not respond.

"Why are you working with Cure Despair? The both of you are Pretty Cures, and Despair doesn't seem like the kind of person that you would willingly side with."

She remained silent, her hands seemingly tense. Ripples formed in her tea as her hands quaked slightly.

"Look, I'm really trying to help. I'm not your enemy. Please tell me what is really going on?"

"It… it's nothing that you can do. And that's all. Please leave me alone."

I wanted to put my hand on her shoulder to reassure her, but all she did was flinch away from my outstretched hand so I quickly gave up on that. "Alright. But whenever you feel like talking to someone, I'm always available, okay?"

A very, very slight movement of her head indicated to me that she had gotten my message, so I got up and went outside. I wondered how the rest of the girls were doing. It didn't take too long for me to find out. Megumi and the rest of the Happiness Charge team began filing in through the front gate, the battle with Unlovely clearly over and done with. I was about to ask how the fight went, when I noticed that Marie was also with them. Did she have any part in the battle at all? As the girls made their way into The Embassy through the front door, I found myself being the last in line while Marie was the second last, right in front of me. She stopped at the door and turned around, jabbing me with her index finger.

"Stay away from Mari." She glared at me with such intensity that it left me stunned, completely at loss for words. Then without warning she returned to her carefree, hyperactive form. "Well, what are you standing out here for like an idiot? Let's go in and have some dinner!"

I had no counter to that. I just stood there, speechless, for a moment before shaking it off and heading inside.

During the next few days, I played a harrowing cat-and-mouse game with Marie and Miss Sugimoto. I knew that I could dig up more information about the pair, if only I had the chance to get close to Miss Sugimoto, but under the watchful eyes of Marie I never got a chance. The both of them seemed inseparable regardless of whatever activity Marie was participating in. I thought perhaps that would take the pressure off the Happiness Charge team but no, Marie was being very thorough. Rather than just spending time with her apparent sister, Marie would bring her along like a third wheel whenever she went out with Megumi. And then Yuuko and Iona would make excuses to tag along as much as they could. It was like one big cock-blocking contest, with no side being able to gain any appreciable advantage over the other.

It was not until Cure Tender's imminent arrival when I realised that we had all made one big mistake, but it was already too late to try and rectify it. We were all preoccupied with getting in Marie's way, while at the same time trying to get through to Miss Sugimoto, we were all left with very little time for personal development. None of the girls had managed to find the time and opportunity to unlock their _Innocent Forms_.

* * *

"You know that it's going to be dangerous, but you're still going to go there anyway, aren't you?"

It was the day that Cure Tender was expected to arrive. Marisu and I were at the riverside park again. "Because this is the end, isn't it? We've never made it past this point, so what's the difference whether I hide in a hole like a coward, or face our destiny together?"

"You're always like that, trying to be a hero." Marisu swept a loose strand of hair aside, staring across the river. "It's not good for your health."

"And you're like the reluctant heroine," I countered. "That can't be good for your health either."

She chuckled. "I guess we're both cut from the same cloth. But at the very least, I don't have to fly you over there. When the fight starts, you can get there the old fashioned way, and if luck were on our side, we'd be done before you have the opportunity to do something stupid again."

"I'll take what I can get." I let the gentle breeze from the wind waft over my face and enjoyed the smell of the fresh air, as if it were our last days alive. "Do you think we can win this time?"

"I don't know. We're a little bit better off this time since the other Precures have mastered the _Happiness Big Bang_. However, none of them have obtained their _Innocent Forms_."

I winced at that last part. "Yeah… about that… I was kind of responsible for that." Marisu flashed me a curious look. "I was too focused on Marie and might have inadvertently roped the girls in to join my crusade as well. Because of all the distractions that ensued, none of them had the opportunity to develop themselves enough to unlock their _Innocent Forms_. Oh well… if we fail this time, I suppose we could just do it all over again."

"I see. Don't push yourself too hard then." Her face seemed to darken a little.

"I don't know how you fully occupy your free time during each reset, but it must have been hard for you."

She nodded, but seemed awfully silent after that.

"Then let's do this properly. I know I won't really be of much use in a fight, but perhaps I can be your moral support."

She choked, nearly bursting out into laughter. "You? My moral support? Oh, come on!" She playfully shoved me in the shoulder.

"Well, at least that cheered you up," I said triumphantly. "You've got to at least give me some credit for that!"

Not too long after, a crowd of panicking people signalled the arrival of Oresky and his Saiark. Cure Tender is sure to follow after that, and then Cure Despair. Marisu transformed and took off.

"Go kick some ass!" I yelled. She gave me the thumbs up as she flew towards her destination.

* * *

I arrived at the scene of the battle just in time to see Oresky sprawled on the ground, his Saiark nowhere to be found. The four Cures Lovely, Princess, Honey and Iona were standing over him. Crimson was perched at the top of a nearby building, watching over them like a gargoyle. It looked like I missed the _Happiness Big Bang_, and all that was left was a huge cloud of dust, no doubt the aftermath of its incredible power. I would have loved to see the Cures unleash it in person. Perhaps another time then.

But even more pressing matters were at hand. Once the dust had settled, it was obvious that a new challenger had arrived. Cure Tender, on cue, marched towards the Happiness Charge team, completely ignoring the defeated general. In the background, there was the large visage of Queen Mirage again, watching over the scene from the comforts of her throne in the Blue Sky Kingdom like we were gladiators in some sort of entertaining blood sport. The real battle was about to begin.

Cure Fortune was the first to move. Dashing forward faster than the eye could follow, she drove her fists into Tender's raised arms in rapid succession, slowly pushing her older sister back. The other three Cures quickly took their positions around the duelling pair, but made no further move while they were still locked in close combat with each other. It seemed that Fortune was the aggressor and Tender remained content on being on the defence, but at the last minute Tender spun around, simultaneously ducking under one of Fortune's punches and delivering a kick into Fortune's midriff. Fortune was thrown a good distance back, and if not for a patch of shrubs to slow her down she would have ended up far away from the battlefield.

Long tendrils materialised out of Cure Honey's baton. They twirled around Cure Tender, but before they could tighten themselves around her, Tender reached out and caught hold of the magical ribbons. She tugged at them with both hands, pulling Cure Honey closer toward her. With a spinning motion, she swung the yellow Precure around and released the hapless girl as she went right smack into Cure Princess. The two of them tumbled, out of control, until the thick and hard stem of a tree stopped them cold.

Cure Tender then turned her attention to Cure Lovely, staring her down with a cold and hard gaze that would make ordinary men tremble. But Lovely stood her ground, raising both fists defiantly at her opponent. The bout that followed was incredibly fast and brutal; both moved so quickly it was nearly impossible to catch every single punch, block and counter that was thrown. However, one thing was certain. Cure Tender had the advantage as she slowly drove Lovely back one step at a time. But Lovely would not relent, and she kept at it – blocking, dodging, and throwing the occasional punch when opportunity presented itself.

A brief flash of purple light forced Cure Tender to quickly break off from Lovely. The magically charged beam of energy that was Cure Fortune's _Stardust Shoot_ singed the air where Tender had stood mere moments ago. A barrage of blue energy bolts from Cure Princess' outstretched hands followed, forcing Cure Tender further up into the air as she twisted and turned to avoid the magical shots of _Princess Bullet Machine Gun_.

Cure Lovely followed up with a great fist of pure energy, christened _Lovely Punching Punch_. Instead of dodging, the dark purple Cure raised one hand to meet the oncoming blow. Sparks flew as the bright pink fist met with a dark purple shield. As Lovely grunted under the strain of maintaining her attack, a large green four-leafed clover descended from the heavens. Tender raised her other hand to meet Honey's orbital blast, and for a brief moment we were struck in awe at the great spectacle before us.

Then it happened. It was a blink-and-you'd-miss-it moment, when Cure Crimson finally decided to enter the fray. Like an angry bird, she flung herself straight at Tender's undefended form. We only heard the sonic boom from Crimson's launch long after she had struck Tender. The blow from Crimson sent Cure Tender straight down onto the ground, impacting on the soft grassy fields with a dull thud that kicked up a cloud of grass, leaves and twigs and leaving a large, round crater.

Cure Fortune was the first to reach Tender's limp form. Caressing her older sister in her arms, she smiled and wept. It seemed that they had exchanged a few words, but I was too far away to hear the exchange. I can only assume from their expressions that Cure Tender was herself again, free of Queen Mirage's influence. It was a touching scene, but I quickly reminded myself that it was not over yet. I looked around for Cure Despair; it seemed that the other Cures also began to descend and watch their surroundings carefully. They formed a ring around Fortune and Tender, eyes scanning their surroundings for the dark Cure's presence.

"The parameters are less than optimal, but regardless, it is time."

I literally jumped at the voice that spoke out behind me. Without even bothering to look behind me, I scrambled to my feet and made a mad dash towards the Cures.

Lovely was the first to spot me running towards them. She raised her hands and the familiar heart-shaped manifestation of her willpower flared above her head. I quickly ducked as her _Pinky Love Shoot_ blazed past me and went on to strike whatever was behind me. I did not care to look; at least not until I had reached the middle of the circle. Cure Princess followed Lovely's cue, laying down a barrage of suppressive fire with _Princess Bullet Machine Gun_ as I finally made it to the defensive ring of Precures.

I could finally turn around and look. There she was, the dark and mysterious Cure Despair. Flanking her were the other two interlopers Sparkle and Twilight. Cure Sparkle had put on her serious face, indicating that she was ready to get down to business while Cure Twilight glanced to her left and right, her hands wrapped around herself in a nervous cradle. Whatever attacks Lovely and Princess had thrown previously did not seem to have any effect at all, as the trio marched their way towards us.

"Ken, stay here with Fortune and Tender," Lovely commanded.

Lovely, Princess, Honey and Crimson took their positions, forming a Precure wall separating us from the enemy. All I could do was watch and hope.

Cure Despair took the initiative, dashing forward with unnerving speed. Cure Sparkle followed in her wake and when her gaze fell upon me, her face lit up with a sadistic smile. Her counterpart, Cure Twilight, seemed hesitant to charge in.

Crimson stepped forward and took the full brunt of Despair's charge, barely holding up as the dark Cure focused a wedge-shaped vortex of dark energies into the shimmering red wall conjured by Crimson. Beside her, Cure Princess tried to land a kick on Despair while she was preoccupied, but Cure Sparkle moved to intercept. Before Sparkle's blow could connect, however, Cure Lovely shoved Princess aside and prepared to take the blow intended for her, but none came. Sparkle quickly halted herself before her blow would connect to Lovely. She then spun around to look straight at me. Her right fist began to glow. I jumped and rolled out of the way just as the ground blew up behind me.

As I got to my feet, Lovely landed in front, her right arm stretched outward to be my shield. Sparkle dropped her sadistic smile at the sight of Lovely and went after Princess instead.

The magical tug-o-war between Crimson and Despair continued, but Crimson was now on her knees as Despair kept pushing harder and harder, her wedge-shaped attack flaring even brighter as it began to penetrate Crimson's shield. Cure Honey was in full concentration, her baton bathed in yellow light as she did her best to support Crimson with her power. But despite their combined strength, Despair's wedge kept pushing more and more.

"Lovely!" I cried out.

As if understanding my intention, she nodded and launched herself at Despair. A long, pink shaft of energy came into being in her hand. She made an overhead slash with her materialised sword, but it came into contact with a barrier of dark energy that was hastily conjured into existence. Despite holding up on two fronts, Despair still did not falter. Instead, it seemed that even more power welled up as the dark Cure's body began to be bathed in black flames. The tendrils flickered menacingly around her, growing in size at a very alarming rate, then there was a flash and a loud thunderclap. I shielded my eyes but my ears rang from the suddenness of the blast. Hot air blew past me and the choking stink of smoke filled nostrils. When I had finally recovered my senses, Despair was the only one left standing.

Elsewhere, Sparkle was locked in an epic aerial battle with Princess. The two encircled each other, moving at a blur but occasionally colliding into one another as they traded blows. The spectacle carried on for a while, until Cure Despair's explosive attack had caught the princess off guard. Sparkle took this opportunity to drop onto the blue Precure with an elbow to the back of her head, sending the princess hurtling into the ground beside the fallen forms of Lovely, Honey and Crimson.

Crimson attempted to move, channelling all her strength into her arms and elbows to prop herself up, but Despair laid a foot on top of her back and made sure she could not get up again.

Beside me, Fortune got up to her feet. "Ken, please take care of Tender."

"You can't be serious about taking on Despair by yourself!"

"I have to!" She clenched her fists and brought them up to bear. "I cannot let it end like this!"

Despair pointed a finger at Fortune. Dark energies swirled around her outstretched digit. Fortune immediately lunged. She was fast – faster than my eyes could follow – but the jet-black wave from Despair's finger was even faster, crashing onto Fortune like a water cannon. All Cures were down. I was the only one standing.

As I faced Cure Despair alone, unsure of how to react, Cure Sparkle landed beside Lovely and then brought her up into an embrace. "It's all your fault, Ken."

"What? How is all this _my_ fault?"

"If only you didn't get in our way. We'd be with the ones we loved, as promised. But you had to interfere. I hate you so much." A single tear dropped from her eye.

I was at loss for words. I had completely no idea what she was talking about. Maybe it was time to pull out the apology tactic and see where that would go. "I… I'm…"

I did not get another opportunity to finish my sentence. All of a sudden I saw the spark of anger in her eyes. They glowed red, full of rage and madness as she tore into me with superhuman speed and strength. And then those familiar words, from a familiar voice, rang inside my head once again: "Are you all right?"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Haha, I actually wrote angry bird! Anyways, besides that blatant reference, not much else referenced this time around:

In the movie _The Rock_, John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery) told Stanley Goodspeed (Nicholas Cage) that losers always whine about their best.

"…a new challenger had arrived" is a reference to arcade fighting games such as Street Fighter.


	12. Revelation at the End of the World

**Chapter 12: Revelation at the End of the World**

I instantly shot up from my supine position, leaning to one side on my way up to avoid colliding into Megumi. I spent a good amount of time scanning my surroundings, just to confirm that time had indeed restarted again. We were at the riverside park again. Megumi was kneeling beside me while Hime peeked from behind Megumi's back. Ribbon pretended to be a lifeless plush doll, resting atop the princess' head.

"Ugh, not again…"

"Calm down," Megumi said as she watched me intently. "You're shaking."

She was right. I could still feel my pulse racing from the fight. The adrenaline was still fresh in my blood, and my breathing was unsteady. "I can't believe this is happening again."

"What happened?" Megumi tried to place her hand over on my forehead, but I reflexively tilted to one side to dodge the "attack". Chalk it up to battle reflexes that have yet to settle down. She withdrew her hand, looking even more confused.

"Sorry, Megumi. I'm just having a really bad day."

"Eh?" The confused girl cocked her head. "How do you know me?"

"Ah sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Ken, and I do know the three of you. The circumstances behind it are a little complicated though. I hope that you can bear with me for just a bit, and I'll try to explain everything properly after talking to Blue-sama."

"Sorry, but the three of us?"

"Yeah, including Ribbon."

"Eeh?" The three of them simultaneously exclaimed.

It was probably time for a snappy remark, but I had a lot on my mind. Everything that happened during that last timeline remained, branded into my memory like a fire that refused to be put out. Everything that had occurred, and thoughts about what went wrong and how to address it in this time line flashed across my mind. Something round and red appeared in my mind's eye. I reached into my pocket and felt it. Blue's gem.

I smiled back at the trio. "Hey, don't act all surprised on me now. We've got plenty of work to do. Besides, you'll be needed at the shopping district very soon. Let's go!"

More surprised and confused looks aside, we eventually found our way to the shopping district where Namakelder's forces invaded on schedule. Everything went as well as expected, of course, and once the battle was over it was time to face Marisu all over again. I nervously edged up to her, not sure what she would say. When she turned to face me, I froze. "Umm…" I tried to find words to say, but all I drew were blanks.

She shrugged. "You could just say sorry."

"We sure messed up again huh? Sorry about that."

Marisu cupped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "I didn't expect you to actually say it!"

I chuckled. She did the same, and soon we both erupted in laughter. I could only imagine what the other Cures were thinking.

Once all that excitement had settled down, I asked if she would be following us to meet Blue again. She nodded.

* * *

We had all gathered around in the living room at The Embassy. After all the usual introductions and pleasantries had been made, we got straight down to business. I took out the small red gem from my pocket and held it up. There were a couple of whispers and gasps coming from the group, but Blue just stared at it intently.

"Blue-sama, this is something that you gave to me once, in a different time that no longer _happened_." I dropped the little round jewel onto Blue's outstretched hand.

Everyone watched as Blue examined the red jewel. At first he held it up against the light. It momentarily sparkled as it caught the reflection of the sun shining through the window. He proceeded to cup the gem in both hands and brought it close to his chest. A faint red glow emanated from the spaces between his fingers. Blue closed his eyes and nodded for a moment, his brows furrowed as if in deep concentration. The light soon faded away, and then Blue opened his eyes and handed the jewel back to me.

"It seems that someone like me has imprinted quite an interesting message for me."

"Someone like you?" I asked, puzzled.

"Before I continue, Ken, I think we would all like to hear your story."

So with everyone in this room as my audience, I told Blue my tale. I told him that this wasn't the first time we've met. I introduced them to Marie-Sueanna Cure Window of the Blue Sky and Sugimoto Mari, supposedly relatives of Hime and Seiji respectively. I explained how their activities had stunted the development and growth of the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team, but by omitting specific details such as _Axia_ and their _Innocent Forms_. Since they were part of the canon timeline, I'd thought it best to not mention them; spoilers can inadvertently affect the future in unpredictable ways. Finally, I warned how everything would come to a head with the confrontation of Cure Despair, the apparently unsurmountable obstacle that everyone needed to train hard to overcome.

The atmosphere was deathly quiet after I ended my tale. Blue was deep in thought. Iona, Yuuko and Glasan whispered words between each other. Hime and her fairy partner, Ribbon just stared back at me with their jaws dropped. Seiji leaned onto a pillar, his eyes transfixed on Blue. Marisu's gaze darted between me and Blue, probably anxious to hear what he had to say about my story.

"That's quite a dire pinch you're in, isn't it?" Megumi's upbeat voice drowned the quiet murmurs of everyone in the room. "For Cure Despair to tramp on everyone's future like that, I find it completely unforgivable! There wouldn't be true happiness in the world if we let her have her way. Therefore we are going to help both Ken and Marisu through this, aren't we Blue-sama?"

"You are, of course, correct, Megumi." Blue stood up, his gaze falling upon everyone in the room. "Everyone, I have made my decision. We will help Ken and Marisu. We will work hard to improve ourselves in order to be strong enough to face this Cure Despair. And we will also do our best to guide Cure Sparkle and Cure Twilight back onto the right path of being a Pretty Cure."

Megumi was the first to clap her hands, followed by Hime. Then almost everyone else joined in, and so I followed suit.

Marisu seemed pleased with the outcome, and so she got up and headed out to the exit. I quickly ran after her before she could get away. "Marisu, wait!"

"What is it, Ken?"

"There's one more thing that I need you to do. When Phantom invades Pikarigaoka, I need you to stand down and _not_ try to help Cure Fortune defeat him."

Without missing a beat, she waved her hand as she went out the front door. "Yeah, I'll do just that."

I watched her leave, wondering how she could be so casual about it and if she actually got my message or not. Once she had left, I returned to the living room. Everyone was slowly dispersing while Blue was about to go back into his chambers. I quickly caught up with him before he disappeared into the shimmering portal. "Blue-sama, may I have a word in private?"

"Of course, Ken. Come in." He beckoned me into the mirror with him.

His inner sanctum was laid out exactly the way I remembered it. Blue watched with amusement as I easily found my way around, already knowing where he would go for our discussion. We stepped towards the array of mirrors that lined his command centre, where he would observe the Phantom Empire invasion and the Pretty Cure operations all around the world. Then without taking his eyes off the display, he said, "there is one more thing that I have omitted to explain, haven't I?"

I nodded. "You said 'someone like you' gave me this gem."

"I might have said it before, that I am not a God of Time, but a mere God of the Earth. Therefore there are things that even I do not have control over. But even so, there are things that I understand well, despite having no power over them. There may be things about time that are beyond me, but one thing is clear. I did not give you that _Crystal of Love_. An alternate self, perhaps, but not one that was simply bound onto the very same thread in time."

"What do you mean by that? Are you implying that time did not reverse?"

"I cannot answer that, Ken. Perhaps reality was recreated. Perhaps reality itself was distorted around and onto one singular fixed point. Or perhaps time still holds many secrets that I have yet to unlock or understand." Blue kept his eyes on the monitors, watching several Precures from around the world battle encroaching Saiarks that threatened their respective cities. "But whatever the truth is, you must search for your own path, and pave the way to the future with your own hands, in order to overcome the ordeals that stand before you."

"I'm not sure I understand."

Blue smiled, finally turning away from the monitors to face me directly. "Do not be constrained by the laws of time and do what you feel is right."

Was he asking me to break canon and follow my instincts? That was seriously confusing, because my instincts told me to follow canon exactly. What good could come from going off on a tangent? Weren't our enemies deliberately forcing us to divert from canon in the first place? Wouldn't the right decision be to oppose these forces and ensure that the canon timeline remained intact?

I felt Blue's hand on my shoulder. "Don't look so confused, Ken. I have confidence that you will know what to do when the time comes. Until then, continue to live by your instincts and what your heart tells you is right."

I nodded and thanked Blue before taking my leave. But honestly, that conversation left me more confused than before. In any case, I wasn't given the opportunity to dwell on it further. The moment I got out of the mirror, I was immediately pulled back into the routine of going out shopping with Iona and Glasan. I was going to be staying here, after all, and needed to obtain all the necessary supplies like before.

* * *

The rest of the days that passed were full of amusement. The day Marie introduced herself as Hime's long lost sibling and tried to pander to Megumi, we quietly accepted her into the fold, but only to help set her down the right path. Megumi would flat out reject any of Marie's harassment, politely pushing her away while the bolder members of the group like Iona or Seiji would admonish her for her unladylike behaviour.

Miss Sugimoto was also paid special attention to. She would never be given a single moment of peace alone. One of the more upbeat members of the group – usually Megumi or Yuuko – would drag her along with them, trying to get her to break out of her introverted shell.

I was initially worried that all the time spent on those two would again disrupt the development of the Happiness Charge team, but both Megumi and Yuuko had assured me that everything was under control. Even Iona, usually the more serious member of the group, was on their side so the only thing left that I could do was to trust their judgement and let them do their own thing.

Time quickly passed by, and soon Phantom was in town, trapping practically everyone but a resistant few into mirrors that gave physical form to rampaging Saiarks. The moment this event started, I prepared to leave Omori Gohan and make my way back to The Embassy, but Marie was in the way. Instead of transforming into Cure Sparkle and heading out to do whatever she usually did, she shut the back door of the kitchen and guarded it with her _PreChanMirror_ at the ready. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uhh… taking out the trash?" Feigning ignorance again, my favourite tactic. It's probably not going to work on this one though.

Marie slammed her fist down onto the sink table. "Don't joke with me. I know what you're up to."

"You do? Please enlighten me then, because I really have no clue to what you're alluding to."

She pointed an accusing finger at me. "We were told that someone would get in our way. And that someone is you! You're up to something, and I won't have any of it. Which is why I will stop you right now, while everyone else is too busy to get in the way."

I have to admit that I was scared. Here I was, facing off with someone indefinitely stronger than I was. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself and keep that racing pulse of mine down a notch. "I'm not sure what you've been told, but I think you've been misled if you consider me as the enemy."

"But you are!" She punched the sink table again, this time leaving a very noticeable impression on the surface. "All this while, you've been getting in our way. Stopping me from getting close to Megumi. Keeping Mari and Blue apart from each other."

"Is that what you and your sister were promised? And how do you suppose that work out the last time?"

"What the hell are you talking about? And how do you know about my sister?" Her fists were clenched tightly, her shoulder heaving up and down as her breathing became even more intense.

"You don't remember any of it?" I raised both hands in front of me, hoping to bring the hostility down a notch. "So from what I understand, you think that you're doing all of this for the first time, and then all of a sudden there's some guy who's been secretly working in the background to tear you apart from the one you love." I watched as Marie's fists lowered a little and her breathing became a bit steadier. "Search your feelings, Marie, or whatever your real name is. Don't you get a sense of déjà vu, as if you've been through this before?"

"I… I… I don't know…" She shook her head from side to side, as if trying to shake something off. Her right hand came up to her forehead. "What is this strange feeling?"

"That something is very, very wrong with the world? That you may be on the wrong side of the fence, figuratively speaking? That you should be trusting your own sister's instincts instead of the one that goes by the name of Despair?"

"How do you know all this?" She took a step away from me, and her back met with the shut door of the kitchen. "Who are you?"

I took a step forward, extending a hand towards her. "I'm just a friend who's trying to help."

"No!" She slapped my hand away; it stung, but I bore with it. "I… I don't know what the hell is going on, but stay away from me! Just stay the hell away from me!" She fumbled for the door knob and made her way out of the kitchen. I tried to run after her, but she was fast, and there were Saiarks around. While she would no doubt be able to handle any that she encountered, I had to be extremely cautious to not meet a single one, so in the end I gave up and slipped back into the lunch shop alone. After some thought, I decided to stay here rather than head back to The Embassy after all. I've had too much excitement for one day, and didn't want to deal with any more surprises that may await there.

Once the invasion was over, and I had finally decided to head back, I was relieved to hear that Iona had obtained her own transformation device, the _Fortune Piano_. Good job, Marisu. And well done, Iona.

* * *

Something unexpected happened after the Phantom invasion. Marie and Miss Sugimoto stopped coming to The Embassy and Omori Gohan. At the beginning, no one gave it any serious thought. We thought that they might have given up and left us alone. But as time went by, Megumi began to worry about them. It was so like her to do so, and she even managed to rope the entire group into performing a city-wide manhunt for the two. We never did find them.

"They may have just given up and left the town," Seiji said.

Megumi sat on the sofa in the living room of The Embassy with her hands cupped over her face. "But what if something bad happened to them? You know that bad guys generally don't take kindly to the failures of their subordinates."

"Megumi," Blue called out as he appeared through the mirror. He walked over and took a seat opposite her. "What do your feelings tell you?"

"I… I think that I want to see them again, and I want to help them overcome whatever problems they are facing. I simply cannot let them just disappear like this."

"Megumi, I understand your feelings," I began. That was just like Megumi, to put the feelings of others before herself. Although the temptation was there to try and dissuade her, but my gut feeling told me that it would be a futile gesture. So the only other option was to support her, but not at the cost of jeopardising everyone else. "I would also wish to help those two, but at the moment we are not strong enough to face who I think is their boss. Before we can even think of helping them, we must all become strong enough to fight Cure Despair. Then, and only then, can you talk directly to Cure Despair as an equal, and ask her of the whereabouts of those two."

"But…" Megumi was still hesitating, so I looked to Blue for help.

"Megumi, Ken is right. In order to find those two, we have to find Cure Despair. Until we find her, you must remain strong and keep working hard. I am sure that if you put your heart to it, one day you will meet those two again, and then you can tell them your true feelings."

"I believe in Blue," Seiji reassured Megumi as he sat down beside her.

Hime hugged Megumi from behind. "I'm sure that if your feelings are both strong and true, the two of them will receive them and wait for you at the very end."

"And then we'll all share Honey Candy together," Yuuko added.

"So let's all work hard from now on, and give it our all." Iona extended her hand towards Megumi.

"You're right, everyone. Let's all work hard from now on towards true happiness!" Megumi accepted Iona's gesture and both their hands met. Hime reached forward too, and Yuuko followed suit. The four of them completed their vows by raising their hands into the air and cheered, and this brought a smile to Blue's face.

* * *

With both Marie and Miss Sugimoto out of the way, events quickly went by without incident. I tried to remain in the background as much as possible, and also reminded Marisu to not get involved in as little battles as possible, if only to give the Happiness Charge team the best possible chance of development. My instincts told me that we should let everything be so that the timeline would mirror canon as closely as possible.

I spent most of my time either training, working at Omori Gohan, or just loitering around The Embassy with Blue, Ribbon and Glasan while the Cures went about their predestined activities. Although this meant that I would miss out on a lot of events this time around, but it was for the best. Cure Unlovely's attack came and went. Axia's true power was unlocked. Iona went out on a date with a schoolmate and was the first to gain her _Innocent Form_. Hime was the next to obtain hers, fuelled by her love and strong connection to all her friends. Yuuko's love for food and her dedication in her duties for Omori Gohan unlocked her _Innocent Form_. And finally, Megumi earned hers on her birthday.

Now all that was left was to deal with the arrival of Cure Tender and Cure Despair. Everyone was in a very high-spirited mood and looked forward to the big showdown. The Happiness Charge team had worked very hard and deserved the victory that they were all confident of achieving. But why did I have a nagging feeling that it would take a lot more than just _Innocent Forms_ to defeat Despair?

"Hey," I called out to Marisu who was standing beside me, at the riverside, as usual. This was the place where I met everyone – my very own special spot, here in Pikarigaoka. "So today's the day. What do you think of our chances this time?"

"Having doubts?" she asked, stretching her hands as a warm up exercise before a bout. "I'll admit that this is the best outcome that you've been able to achieve so far. Iona's _Fortune Piano_. The _Shining Make Dresser_. All four _Innocent Forms_, and you still alive. But somehow I can't shake off a nagging feeling…"

"You feel it too, huh?" I started tracing circles with the tip of my foot on the grass.

"We've always thought that we had the best chance of winning. And we always nearly made it, but that was about it."

"How many times?"

"Dozens. Maybe more. It was always a gamble, trying different tactics to see what worked and what didn't. Well, whether we succeed or not today, this will just be another stepping stone for me until I learn the right combination of moves to defeat Cure Despair."

I glanced at my wrist to check the time. It would begin soon, and we had just minutes left to enjoy the serenity of the river before all hell broke loose. "No matter what happens today, I'm sure that we'll make a difference. I can feel the happiness in the air. It's much stronger than it usually is, so that has to at least count for something."

Marisu giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you realise that you're beginning to sound like Megumi?" She began to laugh out loud.

"You're comparing me to her? You've completely lost it this time!" The both of us began to laugh together. Such moments were few and far between, but they were important moments nevertheless and crucial to maintain our sanity throughout this insane streak of repeats. The little digital watch on my wrist began to beep and on cue, the sound of a distant explosion announced the arrival of the Phantom Empire general known as Oresky and his Saiark.

We both quietly nodded to each other before she took to the skies.

* * *

The battle with Oresky and his Saiark was already over by the time I arrived. I was being more careful this time, knowing that Cure Despair would be lurking nearby. So without paying any heed to the battle that would soon follow, I started scouting the place for any signs of a creepy goth girl. It didn't take much effort to find her; stealth was either not her forte, or she did not care for it at all. I found her standing at the very same spot where she nearly ambushed me in the previous timeline. Flanking her on both sides were the two missing girls, Marie and Miss Sugimoto. I took a deep breath before approaching them, just as the fight with Cure Tender was about to begin.

"Yo." In retrospect, that wasn't exactly the best way to attract the attention of your enemies, but what's done is done. There was no use in regretting any further.

For all my efforts, I was rewarded with ignorance from the goth cosplayer. Marie glared while Miss Sugimoto averted her eyes.

I met with Marie's gaze. "Megumi and the others are worried about the two of you. Where did you go?"

"Worried about me? Don't lie to me. I've had enough of your lies." She wanted to take a step forward, but the goth girl, who was Despair in civilian form, held out her hand towards Marie. It was a clear order to stand down.

"I don't know what Despair told you after that day at Omori Gohan, but I never lied to you. Megumi and the others are truly worried ever since you stopped coming." The roar of an explosion behind momentarily stunned me, as the battle between the Happiness Charge team and Cure Tender intensified. Once I had regained my composure, I continued. "We even searched all of Pikarigaoka for you and your sister. Trust me when I say that everyone really cares about you."

"You don't get to tell me anything at all. Once Despair gives the order, I'm coming to rip your heart out!"

I switched my attention over to Miss Sugimoto. "And what about you? Are you truly happy with what you are doing right now?"

"I…" she began, but was interrupted by her sister.

"You don't have to tell him anything!"

"Won't you two stop and think for just a moment. What is this promise to be with the one you love all about? Are you sure you will find true happiness by doing this? And think for a moment about your boss – the one you are working for. Are you sure that someone named Despair is going to keep a promise about happiness?"

"You don't know anything all!" Marie cried at the top of her lungs. "You don't understand what we've lost!"

Miss Sugimoto stared silently at her sister. There was sadness in her eyes, but she quickly shrugged it aside and averted her eyes once she became aware of my gaze upon her. I sensed a smirk coming from the goth girl, but perhaps that was just my imagination. She hadn't shown any sort of emotion so far; at this point in time, I doubted that she was capable of showing any at all.

More explosions rocked the ground. A wave of hot air warmed my back. The battle was becoming more and more furious. It was also probably going to be over soon, so my time limit was almost up. All this while, the girl who was Despair just stood still, content on silently observing the battle that raged on behind me. She didn't seem to even care about the exchange between Marie and me, as if she didn't even care whose side the two of them chose. Was she really so confident of herself? The thought of it sent shudders down my spine.

"It is time." The goth girl held out a rectangular device, one which I had mistakenly thought was a communicator the first time I saw it. I now realised that it was her transformation device, though completely unlike the _PreChanMirrors_ that the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team used. I shot a quick look behind me to confirm that the four Cures Lovely, Princess, Honey and Fortune had indeed taken down Cure Tender, and were all standing over her in beautiful white dresses. Their skirts were coloured pink, yellow, purple and blue. Magical wings in the motif of both butterfly and ribbon adorned their backs. But I did not have the luxury of time to ogle over their _Innocent Forms_.

I returned my attention to the opposition standing before me. Despair had already begun her transformation sequence; dark wisps of energy formed and encircled her, triggered by the insertion of a key-like apparatus into her transformation device. Marie and Miss Sugimoto followed suit, drawing their _PreChanMirrors_ and slotting in the necessary trio of cards. It was time for me to back off and make my way towards the Happiness Charge team.

Cure Crimson dropped down from above, landing in front of me. "I hope you've learnt whatever you came to learn, to put yourself in such a big risk like that."

"Sort of…"

"Then time to get the hell away from here." Crimson raised her fists and assumed combat stance, her gaze trained upon her three opponents.

As I retreated towards Fortune and Tender, the other three Cures Lovely, Princess and Honey rushed to Crimson's side. A cloud of dust and the crumbling of a brick wall signalled the start of the battle.

"Ken, please stay with Tender." Fortune gently laid her unconscious sister down on the soft grass, then stood up and rushed into the fray, kicking up a trail of grass in her wake.

A spiralling trail of two cyan lights rising into the sky indicated that Cure Princess and Twilight had begun engaging each other in an aerial battle. Another chaotic trail of pink, blue and silver exited the dust cloud, as Cure Lovely attempted to chase down Cure Sparkle – no doubt to attempt a heart-to-heart talk with the girl, all the while trying to _befriend_ her in combat. Meanwhile, the skirmish between Cures Honey, Fortune, Crimson and Despair intensified as bodies crashed into nearby buildings, only to get up and leap back into the fight. At the epicentre of the fray was the shadowy figure of Despair, maintaining her position as she held back and then repelled attacks from her opponents. The three Cures were trying all manner of tactics and combinations to approach dark Cure, yet their opponent was able to hold up on her own.

High up in the sky, Cure Princess and Cure Twilight continued dogfighting and would soon breach into the stratosphere. On the ground, it seemed that Cures Lovely and Sparkle have somewhat settled down on the open grassy fields, staring at each other while words were being exchanged between them. And in the thick of it all, the familiar sight of a giant green clover descended from the sky upon Cure Despair. Finally, they've brought out their big guns.

Cure Despair momentarily flickered, apparently engulfed by an aura of dark energy. In a moment of realisation, I recognised that move. Apparently Cure Crimson noticed it as well, as she was the first to leap away from the dark Cure in a hurry. Cures Honey and Fortune quickly followed suit just as Despair seemed to explode in a ball of black flame. Honey's orbital bombardment, _Sparkling Baton Attack_, was nullified when the descending clover came into contact with the expanding globe of fury. After her attack dissipated, Despair remained standing in the middle of a large crater the size of her supernova blast.

Crimson landed in front of me, followed by Honey and Fortune.

"She's strong," Honey said, visibly panting from the strain of the fight.

Fortune pointed over towards Despair, who had begun to walk steadily towards the trio. "Don't let your guard down; it's not over yet!"

Crimson adjusted her stance, lowering her centre of gravity and preparing to make a leap. "Get ready!"

Despair began to pick up the pace. One moment she was just a small figure over a hundred metres away, and suddenly she was nearly upon us. Crimson leapt directly towards her, the both of them clashing headlong into each other. Fists and kicks were exchanged at lightning speed. Neither side would relent. Honey and Fortune flanked the duelling pair, looking for an opportunity to intercept. And then Crimson came hurtling in my direction, her arms crossed across her chest to ward off the devastating blow from Despair. My arms went up on instinct to receive the impact, but none came. Honey and Fortune got to Crimson first, catching her in mid-air before any collision could occur.

To my left, Cure Princess had just arrived, her right hand clutching her left side tightly. She was visibly shaking and panting, her knees almost buckling from her own weight. Cure Twilight landed opposite her and beside Despair, and then dropped to her knees. Sweat trickled down her rustled hair while her tattered dress was similarly drenched in sweat.

To my right, Cure Lovely approached. "Everyone! Are you all right?"

"What about Cure Sparkle?" I asked.

She looked down, her right hand resting over her chest. She turned and looked at Despair. Sparkle had just landed by Despair's side, but she appeared to also be in a dejected mood. Both her hands hung lifelessly by her side as she stared aimlessly at the ground.

I got to my feet and walked towards Despair. "Enough of this. Why are we even fighting?"

"Because the world will end in despair," was the answer given to me. Despair raised her right hand, her index finger pointed accusingly at me. "The only option for you is to die and fulfil your destiny."

"What destiny are you talking about?"

"To die."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you can't kill me." I took another few steps towards the dark Cure, to the astonishment of the others. "You see, if you strike me down, I shall simply come back again. And some day, I might just come back even more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

Despair simply raised her chin while her unblinking gaze remained focused on me. "You misunderstand; your role is to repeat the cycle of death until all global parameters are met."

I felt my blood boil; my fists were clenched, shaking uncontrollably. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? That you're somehow involved with this repeating time loop?"

"I have said enough. It is time for you to fulfil your destiny."

"No." I felt the fear and the confusion leave me. I was surprisingly calm. Perhaps I was sick and tired of all this destiny crap. Perhaps because I was now standing in front of my friends, and therefore the designated protector, to give them time to recover their strength and get back up. Or perhaps it was the sight of both Cure Sparkle and Cure Twilight, rooted to the spot as they stared at Despair with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Either way, it seemed that the spotlight was on me now, and there was no room to back down from fear or hesitation. "No, I will not let you have your way this time."

"Twilight!" I waited for the cyan Precure to pay attention. "Sparkle!" The blue and silver Precure's eyes peeled away from Despair and looked at me. "Now do you see your supposed benefactor's true colours? What are you going to do about it? Are you still going to stay by her side, or are you going to do what you know in your heart to be right?"

"I…"

"We…"

"Enough!" Despairs words boomed like an overpowering megaphone, effectively silencing everyone and gaining their full attention. "It doesn't matter what you say now; they won't remember any of it."

"Stop fucking around with everyone!" I slashed my hand across the air for dramatic effect. "What gives you the right to toy with people's lives and feelings like that? Who the hell gave you this right?"

"You know the answer to that, Ken." A faint, but noticeable smile formed on Despair's lips, and here I thought she was completely incapable of such display of emotions.

"Monolith." That was the only word that could escape from my mouth. But that wasn't enough. "What the hell is Monolith anyway?"

"That information is irrelevant at this juncture in time, and even then, is beyond your level of clearance to know."

"More riddles. More of that condescending tone. You've trampled enough over everyone's feelings. You've beat up my friends more times than I can possibly count. You've continued to look down on us and ridiculed us every step of the way. I've had enough of you, and somehow or other, I will find a way to stop you. I will end all of this, even if it takes a thousand tries. Do you hear me, Despair? The world will _not_ end in despair!"

I don't know what was it that I said, but Despair was now looking at me with wide eyes. She actually took a step back. "Impossible…"

"What?" I shot a look behind me, wondering if something new that could strike fear even in Despair's heart had shown up. But everyone – Crimson, Lovely, Princess, Honey and Fortune – were also looking at me with slacked jaws.

Lovely pointed to my right hip. Something was glowing in my pocket. I reached in and took out the red gem that was given to me in the previous timeline. It shone with a bright, red glow. "The hell…?"

* * *

"What is this I don't even…"

The gem in my palm began to take a new form. I didn't need to guess what it was. How is this even happening? And why?

Well, it didn't matter how or why right now. Whatever, I could use this situation to our advantage. I brandished the newly-formed _PreChanMirror_ out towards Cure Sparkle and Cure Twilight. "If you're still having doubts about Despair, what does _this_ tell you now? Please remember the day the two of you became Pretty Cures. Please remember your feelings and the values that you fought for on that day. And then tell me now, whose side do you choose to be on?"

"Precure…" Despair said with much disdain apparent in the tone of her voice. "Despite the hopelessness of it all, you still cling to hope. You still choose to be on the losing side and expect an impossible outcome to happen. I will not stand by and let any more of this farce continue. This ends now."

A deathly aura seemed to embrace the dark Cure, and then the black flame engulfed her again. We prepared ourselves for yet another explosive nova, but this manifestation of her power seemed different than the previous display. It flared up even higher, then coalescing into what could be best described as a dark cloak that wrapped itself around her. A pair of jet black wings sprouted from her back, and from them a deep purple aura permeated. She raised her left hand, now seemingly misshapen and corrupted by the dark powers, and it bristled with a purple flame that exuded pure malice and despair. Then she looked straight at me with her deathly pale eyes with wisps of purple smoke rising out from them.

Sparkle and Twilight, the two people who were closest to Despair, launched themselves at the dark Cure. They grabbed on to her waist and ankles as Despair tried to approach me. "Get off me, you imbeciles!"

But it took more than two to stop the advancing beast. Honey and Fortune leapt past me and slammed directly into Despair, latching on to both her shoulders, but the dark Cure continued to advance. Then Lovely and Princess joined the dog-pile. The cyan Princess locked an arm around Despair's neck while Lovely slammed her shoulder into the dark Cure's chest. For a moment there, they managed to stop her advance. And then with seemingly inhuman strength (or at least, even more inhuman than she already was), she lurched forward at full speed despite the heavy baggage of six Precures dragging her down.

Before anyone else could act, Despair already had her right hand around my throat and her grotesque left hand raised high above her, ready to come down onto me with a complete payload of malicious energies attached. And then her hand came tearing down… just as Cure Crimson ducked underneath and in between the both of us. I was knocked free of Despair's grip and I stumbled backwards, out of balance, just as I bore witness to the dark Cure delivering a solid blow to Crimson's head. Her screams drowned just about every other sensation and feeling that we could have possibly felt.

"Tch…" Despair cast the crumpled body of Crimson aside. "It seems that luck is on your side today. No matter, we shall meet again."

Before anyone else could react, the dark Cure grabbed the napes of Sparkle and Twilight's necks, as if they were her pets. In the blink of an eye, the three of them dematerialised from this world.

"Crimson!"

I dashed forward and knelt beside her limp body. Everyone else had gathered around us, all looking concerned.

"K-Ken…" She was barely able to speak, her voice quavering. She tried to lift up her hand. She barely succeeded, and pulled me close to her. Then she whispered in my ear, "Y-you… must… find me… when… you… wake…"

Crimson's hand went limp. Everyone cried out her name. But not me. I stood up, and took one last look at the horizon. I could still go back. I could still change everything. All I needed to do was to die… but the gasps from my friends interrupted my train of thoughts. Everyone had stepped back in shock, and I looked down at Crimson's body to find why. What I saw shocked me to the very core of my soul.

Crimson's body turned into tiny specks of coloured lights, all dancing around an orb of pure black. They swirled around it like a whirlpool, then finally were sucked into it. Everything around her, from the grass that she lay on to the buildings around her and everything else nearby began to lose their colours, and the black orb simply grew bigger and bigger like a hungry and insatiable black hole. It drew out all the colours in the world, and everything slowly turned into a grey, featureless ruin. And after that, grey turned to dust and dust turned into nothing.

I wanted to simply shut my eyes there and then, to shut out the horrible sight that took place before my very eyes. Everything in the world, everyone I knew, was slowly disintegrating, and I did not even understand why. But I noticed the palm of my hands as they came up to my face. They were still normal. _I_ was still normal, while everything else disintegrated. I stood, helplessly, as I watched the whole world disappear, as if being washed away by a merciless tide. And in place of that world, there was nothing but darkness.

I found myself floating in a vast, infinite sea of nothingness. Not a single sound or sensation could be felt. Yet it wasn't a real form of darkness for I could still see my own body as clearly as day. I blinked, even rubbed my eyes many times, just to be sure that I wasn't hallucinating. But here I was, in a realm of black nothingness, after the world and everything I knew had died. Here I was all alone. Nothing else existed; no friends to talk to, nothing to hold on to, and nothing to fight for.

But then I felt it. I wasn't alone. There was something else here with me. Something terrible, that it made the hairs behind my neck stand up as if pure malice and despair itself were breathing down my back. I could feel it getting closer and closer. Even in a realm where nothing existed, I could feel as if there was a deep rumbling that simply grew stronger as the dark presence approached. It was behind me. I could feel it. I spun around… and blinked.

Megumi was staring at me. Hime was behind Megumi, and Ribbon played dead by her side. The playful, happy atmosphere of Pikarigaoka overwhelmed my senses. When I had regained my sight, I looked past Megumi, past Hime, past the children and their parents walking alongside the river and saw the familiar city skyline. I took in the familiar breeze and smell of the river. I was back. Again.

"Are you all right?"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: All aboard the WTF train; it's a one way ticket to WTF Land. Anyway, on a more serious note, I think most of my cards have now been played and laid bare on the table. I'm curious if anyone has formed any theories about what the hell is going on in the world so far? And anyway, on to references:

In Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, it is common knowledge to fans that Nanoha's default method of "befriending" involves massive, overpowering attacks.

Obi Wan Kenobi told Darth Vader, "if you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

"What is this I don't even" is an Internet message board meme.

In the movie Edge of Tomorrow, Rita tells Cage to "come find me when you wake up."


	13. Crimson Memories

**Chapter 13: Crimson Memories**

Many timelines ago, a young teenage girl not more than 14 or 15 years of age woke up and found herself on a park bench. She groggily studied her surroundings, bewildered by the fact that she did not remember how she arrived here. Several children were playing in an open field nearby; one of the boys kicked a soccer ball that they were chasing a little harder than he must have expected. It flew off course, rebounding several times before finally settling down near the bench where she was sitting.

Now fully alert, she leaned forward and watched a young boy, not more than 7 or 8 by her own reckoning, running up to it and picking it up. He approached the girl while cradling the ball with both hands. "You're finally awake, miss."

"How long was I asleep?" she asked the boy.

He stared up into the sky for a moment before answering the girl. "You were already here when I came to play!"

"I see. And where exactly is this place anyway?"

"You don't know?" The boy shot her a curious look. The girl shrugged, so he answered, "You're in Pikarigaoka."

"Pikarigaoka? I've never heard it."

"My mama and I have been living here ever since I was a little baby. Funny that you've not heard of my hometown. Anyway, my friends are waiting for me. See you later, miss." The boy ran back to his friends and they continued with their ball game.

The girl watched the boys play for a while, before turning her thoughts back to the situation at hand. She had no recollection of how she had arrived in a town that she had never even heard of. She looked around a second time, hoping to spot any clues that she might have missed the first time. She noticed a thick book, or magazine rather, by her side. It looked like one of those typical manga publications for young girls. She picked it up and felt a bulge within the pages. She flipped the book open; a round and red gem came rolling out, landing between the folds of her pants. Being curious, she picked it up and held it up against the light. It sparkled beautifully like a precious stone, though it looked more like a marble than a piece of jewellery. She decided that it might be something important and placed it in her left shirt pocket.

Her attention then shifted towards the magazine itself. The red gem served as a bookmark for the serialisation of a magical girl series called DokiDoki! Pretty Cure. She casually flipped through the pages as she followed the story of a young student council president named Aida Mana who gained the ability to transform into the magical girl known as Cure Heart in order to save another magical girl from the clutches of a giant crab monster. By the time she had finished the story, she felt a little silly for reading it. _Only little girls would read such a childish thing_, she thought. _Besides, the story isn't even finished yet. This was just the beginning, and_-

Something caught her attention on the last page. Someone scribbled a short sentence at the lower right edge of the page itself, and in a foreign language too. Her English was a bit rusty, but the words were simple enough for her to decipher. She read them out loud: "Mana Aida… isu… ah… Ma-ri… Su-eh. What's a Mary Sue anyway?"

As she pondered the meaning of the words, she felt a slight tremor that shook the bench she was on. "An earthquake?" She sprung up to her feet and observed the confusion and chaos that had befallen the people around her. The strangest thing had happened – sweets and cakes began materialising all over the park. Candy canes jutted out of trees, and wafer biscuits sprouted from the ground like weed. For a brief moment she thought that she was dreaming, but a chilling battle cry snapped her out of her daze.

"Saiark!"

The group of boys screamed as a large, black humanoid wandered into view. It wore a pair of red glasses and had a pink scarf around its neck. It had a pair of soccer balls for fists, and it took pleasure in smashing them together, as if asking for a fight. The children scattered like the wind as the monstrous being rampaged throughout the field, uprooting trees and demolishing any park equipment in its way. It didn't take long for the creature to notice the girl standing and quivering at the park bench. It slowly and steadily marched up to her.

The girl wanted to run. Her mind was screaming for her to turn around and let her legs carry her as far away as possible from this horrible thing and place. But her eyes were transfixed on a most unusual and yet shocking sight. There was a dark mirror partly embedded into the ground behind the monster; she could see its occupant as clear as day. It was the little boy who spoke to her earlier. His eyes were closed, as if in a deep sleep, and his hands were crossed against his chest. She gasped, rooted to the spot as the lumbering giant paced closer and closer to her.

A flood of emotions filled her trembling heart. Fear, of the monster and the strange situation that she was in. Excitement, over the escalating danger that the situation presented. Anger, for what had happened to the little boy. Hate, of the giant thing that was most likely responsible for what happening. And finally courage, determination even, to save the boy from his sealed fate no matter what the cost. And so she stood defiantly, glaring at the creature that now towered over her like a predator belittling its prey. It raised its soccer balled fist, ready to smash the girl into a pulp, but she continued to stare with strangely determined eyes.

The red gem in her shirt pocket began to glow. It shone with the brightest light, momentarily blinding the Saiark while the girl herself was being engulfed by a column of magical light. And from within that light, she uttered the words that somehow came naturally to her.

"Precure rolling mirror change!"

* * *

The girl found herself airborne when she leapt back to avoid the first volley of blows from the Saiark. For a brief moment, she enjoyed the thrill of the fact that she was flying. She felt the cool breeze in her face. She felt the rush from the leap that sent her skyrocketing into the atmosphere. And then she felt the pang of fear when she realised that the creature could also jump very high, and it was speeding towards her with its fist cocked back to strike.

She crossed her arms as the blow came. It felt like being hit by a truck. She felt the sting of pain in her forearms but continued to keep them up, protecting her head and body from the second, third, and then fourth blows from the creature. Then came the downward hook; she was just barely able to block it, but the momentum sent her tumbling towards the ground. The impact was both loud and painful. Even breathing was difficult as the fall had knocked the wind out of her. She tried to get up, but her arms were barely able to hold her weight.

"Saiark!"

The battle cry came from above. The creature was also on a descent – directly over her! Unable to stand, she spun around and laid on her back, watching her opponent fall closer and closer. Then she began moving her hands, as if triggered by some innate instinct or feeling. She activated a small wheel of coloured gems on her left bracer. A surge of power coursed through her hands and manifested before her, purifying the oncoming Saiark in the form of a single but powerful blast of magical light.

The threat was gone and the girl continued to lay still on her back, tired and confused, beaten and battered. "What just happened to me?"

A small shadow loomed over her. She looked and saw the silhouette of a boy – the boy whom she had just saved. "Thanks for saving me, miss Pretty Cure!"

"What did you just call me?" She managed to sit up, somehow, and took a good look at the boy.

"A Pretty Cure. That's what you are, aren't you?"

"I am? I mean… yes, I am." A Pretty Cure. She was immediately reminded of the manga that she had just read. But some of the details were off. They way that she transformed, and the method in which she defeated the monster, were different from DokiDoki! Pretty Cure. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not, thanks to you, miss." He extended his right hand. "I'm Akio. You are?"

"I'm…" She paused. She didn't have a name for herself. But from the manga, she knew that she would need to give herself a Cure name, just like the main character Cure Heart. She took note of the costume that she was wearing. An outlandish-looking red sailor fuku, lined with white and yellow frills and ribbons with a large heart-shaped brooch on her chest. It made her feel like a princess in some magical fairy tale, wearing pretty dresses while fighting strange creatures. A red princess. She took the boy's hand and smiled. "I'm Cure Crimson."

"Akio! Akio!" A middle-aged woman came running by. From the grave look of concern that was plastered all over her face, Cure Crimson summarised that she was the boy's family or relative. Upon seeing the boy, she ran up to him and wrapped him in her arms. Tears flowed freely out of her soaked eyes. She could not be anyone else but the boy's mother.

"Thank you for saving my Akio," the woman said. "He means the world to me. After I heard about the Saiark attack, I was so worried. Thank goodness you were here, Pretty Cure."

"She's Cure Crimson," Akio corrected his mother.

"Well then, thank you for saving my son, Cure Crimson." She gave her a deep and long bow, and urged her son to do the same.

"It's nothing, really. You don't need to thank me," Crimson replied, feeling completely flustered by their act of gratitude. It wasn't something that she was used to receiving. But she liked it; it made her feel like she had finally done some good in her life.

Crimson watched as mother and child walked away, heading home as the evening sun was about to set. She slumped down onto the park bench and untransformed, then held up the strange device that was in her hands. The _PreChanMirror_. It looked like a combination between a cell phone and a hand mirror. In her other hand were a trio of semi-transparent cards, designed to stack on top of one another to form the clothes that she wore when transformed. She realised that these were very important items so she carefully pocketed them, to keep them safe from harm. Then she stared out into space, pondering what she should be doing in this unfamiliar environment.

The girl was so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed Akio and his mother come by again. When she had finally noticed them, the mother smiled and asked, "Could it be that you don't have a place to go home to?"

She nodded, her head bent down in embarrassment.

"In that case, why don't you come home with us?"

The girl looked up again, and saw little Akio standing beside his mother, his face lit with the brightest smile. He was nodding his head vigorously, sending a clear message to her, so she nodded her response.

"I'm Akiko," the woman introduced herself, "and you already know my boy, Akio."

"I'm-"

She remembered her self-given title: the red princess. She also remembered that strange scribble in the manga magazine and thought to herself, _why the heck not_? And so just like that, her civilian name was decided.

"I'm Akahime Marisu. Pleased to meet you!"

* * *

Marisu spent her days in Pikarigaoka with Akiko and Akio. She had learnt a great deal about them, the town they lived in, and the worldwide attacks of the Phantom Empire. Akio's father went missing in a neighbouring town while on a business trip when a Saiark invaded and they have not heard from him since. Akiko ran a nearby beauty salon all on her own which was barely enough to bring food to the table for the both of them. Marisu offered to help out at the shop; it was the least that she could do to repay their kindness and hospitality. In between work, fending off the occasional Saiark attack, helping Akio with school work and playing with him and his friends, Marisu had her hands full. But she was content and had soon given up on finding a way home. To her, life in Pikarigaoka was much more interesting and exciting than life at home.

Through the local news broadcasts, Marisu learnt about the existence of another team of Precures in town: the Happiness Charge team. Those four individuals operated closer to the heart of town, whereas Marisu lurked around its outskirts. She did not think of seeking them out though; she was content with keeping a low profile and managed to stay under the radar of a reporter who was seeking out Pretty Cures in town recently.

The conditions in Pikarigaoka worsened as time passed. Things came to a head when the powerful general, Phantom, invaded and imprisoned most of the town's population, spawning scores of Saiarks in the process. It was a nightmare for Marisu; one moment she was happily serving customers at Akiko's salon while waiting for Akio to come home from school and the next moment she was surrounded by dozens of people trapped in sarcophagi-like mirrors. Marisu had never fought so hard in her life; even with the superhuman strength, dexterity and constitution granted by her Pretty Cure form, her body was at the limit as she purified Saiark after Saiark with no end to them in sight. But she still carried on, fighting the good fight, because she had found something important to fight for. Someone she was willing to risk her life to protect: Akio.

After the invasion, life settled down again for Marisu and her newfound family. Sure, there were still occasional Saiarks to deal with. However, living at the outskirts of town, she saw much less action than the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team. She was fortunate enough to avoid all the media coverage that the Happiness Charge team had attracted too. Life would carry on peacefully for the three of them, so long as they stuck together as a family…

Then one day, the world ended. It all happened so suddenly, just like the time when Phantom invaded. Marisu was watching over Akio as he played with his friends at the park when the world turned grey. All the colours of the world literally disintegrated into dust, sucked into an ever-growing vortex of darkness coming from the heart of the city. Marisu, in shock, rushed to Akio's side, but she was powerless to do anything. She tried to embrace him in her arms, to protect him from whatever attack that was taking place, but her precious Akio simply crumbled to dust. Then the rest of her world shattered before her very eyes, and she was left alone in darkness.

Marisu was very afraid; she tried to call out the names of everyone she knew or had heard of: Akio, Akiko, Lovely, Princess, Honey and Fortune. Even the name Masuko Miko escaped her lips, but no answer came. Only eternal darkness was her partner. She was completely and utterly devastated; drowned in tears, all she could do was drop to her knees and despair.

And then with a blink of an eye, she was lying down on the park bench again. The same ball came bouncing towards her again. And the same Akio came to her again, to collect the ball and greet her with that same warm smile of his.

* * *

"Am I dreaming?" Marisu thought out loud, her blank stare not helping as Akio cocked his head and stared back at her, confused.

"You were asleep, so I guess you were dreaming, miss?"

"Say… is your name Akio by any chance?"

The boy let his jaw drop a little, but he tried not to let the rest of his surprise show. "Are you someone that I'm supposed to know? A friend of my mother, perhaps?"

She shrugged. "I suppose you can say that. How's Akiko doing, anyway?"

"Oh, she's doing great! Are you going to visit us later?"

"Yeah, of course. Anyway, your friends are waiting for you."

"Okay, see ya later!" Akio threw a parting wave before running off to his friends.

Marisu looked down beside her. The very same book was resting there, tempting her. She opened it and found the same red gem waiting patiently in between the pages of DokiDoki! Pretty Cure. She held the gem up to her eyes. "Now just what exactly are you, and what is going on here?"

She flipped through the pages of the manga again. Everything looked exactly as she had remembered it, down to the little scribble at the end of the series. Her attention turned to Akio and his friends, playing innocently in the fields, completely oblivious to the events that she was sure would come next. She saw a figure standing underneath a tree nearby; her face was covered in shadow, but by her silhouette alone it looked like a girl with an umbrella. That figure gestured with her free hand and Akio was imprisoned in a dark mirror. A new Saiark was being born. Marisu held on to the Crystal of Love tightly and rushed headlong into battle.

* * *

With the Saiark defeated, all Marisu needed to do was have her little chat with Akio. Eventually Akiko would come to pick her son up, and the topic of conversation would include Marisu staying over with them. Realising what would happen again if she simply stayed with Akio and did nothing, she resolved to be more proactive this time around. She would seek out the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team and see if that course of action would lead her somewhere, to give her clues as to what had happened, and what was fated to happen.

Marisu met with a member of the team during a relatively minor scuffle with a Saiark. Together they easily defeated and purified the creature, chased away the Phantom Empire general responsible, and then adjourned to a small lunch shop in town for a chat.

"I'm Aino Megumi, and this is my friend Shirayuki Hime," the pink-haired girl greeted.

"Akahime Marisu. Pleased to meet you."

"So, we haven't heard of you before. When did you become a Pretty Cure?" Megumi asked.

"It's a complicated story, but it was not long ago when I found a small red gem that turned into this device you call the _PreChanMirror_."

Megumi's face beamed with joy. "That's wonderful! The Crystal of Love must have reacted to some strong desire from you, granting you the power to become a Pretty Cure. So tell me, was it someone precious that you needed to protect?"

"Something like that."

Hime suddenly leapt to her feet. "A boyfriend perhaps?"

"No, no, nothing like that at all. Just… just family."

"That's so wonderful, like a fairy tale come true. Complete and total happiness!" Megumi was clearly on cloud nine. Hime seemed like she was about to join her in that silly daydream too, which made Marisu feel a little embarrassed.

"Anyway, I need to get back to them. I hope we'll see each other more often from now on!" Marisu gave the two a courteous bow before leaving.

It was not long before Marisu would cross paths with them again. This time, Megumi and Hime were fighting a powerful Saiark as Cures Lovely and Princess, along two other Precures whom she had yet to meet. Their opponent wielded a hammer in one hand, swinging the tool haphazardly and causing wanton destruction all around. Eager to prove herself to the Happiness Charge team, she leapt headlong into a very tough and brutal fight. She was lucky to barely make it through without serious injury, and in the end it took the combined strength of all five of them to purify this ridiculously overpowered Saiark.

For her contribution in battle, Megumi wanted to invite Marisu into the team but was met with opposition from the strangest source. There was a young boy with them. Introducing himself as Ken, he seemed to harbour a great amount of distrust towards Marisu. He convinced them to not let her into the group so easily, and asked that she prove herself to them. Not thinking into it too much, she did as he said, fighting battle after battle to prove her worth and her mettle.

When Phantom invaded, she was fully prepared. She had already gotten Akiko and Akio to temporarily leave town the night before and was already out and about, patrolling the town in the morning. Thanks to her meticulous preparation, she was able to quickly locate Phantom and, together with Cure Fortune, they defeated the Precure Hunter and saved the town. Thanks to her contribution during this crisis, she was officially welcomed into the Happiness Charge team and met with Blue for the first time. Despite forging ahead and developing good relations with everyone on the team, including Blue, she felt that she still did not earn the complete trust of the young boy, Ken.

Things seemed to go well between Marisu and the rest of the Happiness Charge team, until the day Cure Tender arrived. Tender was under the influence of Queen Mirage, leader of the Phantom Empire, and she was such a powerful opponent. The battle was furious, unlike anything Marisu had ever experienced before. Just as they were about to gain the upper hand, a new enemy arrived and put an end to their fight. Marisu couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of power that Cure Despair wielded, and she fought with all her strength, but that was still not enough to lay a single finger on the dark Cure.

When all was lost, when the Despair was about to execute Marisu, Ken did the unthinkable. He pushed Marisu out of the way just as she was about to receive a deadly blast, and disappeared without a trace. The world around her began to disintegrate again, just as Marisu remembered it, and the sheer realisation set in that Akio must be all alone and frightened, calling out her name in vain. Marisu's heart ached as she watched the world vanish right before her very eyes again, sucked into an ever-growing vortex of nothingness that appeared at the very spot where Ken was supposed to fall.

And from the darkness, she awoke, on the same bench, watching the very same ball of fate fly towards her and draw her towards Akio.

* * *

After the battle at the shopping district, Marisu immediately noticed that something was off with Ken. Instead of disapproving of her joining the team, he was completely welcome with the idea instead. Not wanting to let it go, she pulled him aside for a private talk.

"Why are you letting me join so easily? Aren't you at least suspicious about some newcomer joining the team from out of nowhere?"

"What makes you think I'm suspicious?" he retorted, but in reality he seemed more curious than antagonistic.

"Well, I thought you were…" She was grasping at straws, clearly not being used to digging a hole for herself. "I mean, it's not like I know you or anything, but it's just a feeling that I have."

"Wait. Stop." Ken rested his hands on Marisu's shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye. "Are you saying that you actually remembered that last time?"

"I…" Marisu hesitated, at loss for words. She thought about it for a moment before continuing. "Just to be clear, are we talking about the same time as before, right here, when you clearly expressed your distrust of me and wanted me to prove myself first?"

Ken nodded, dropping his hands to his side and sighed. "So you're just like me, trapped in some kind of time loop and waking up at the same place again."

"What happened? Did the world really end?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. I thought I died, and then woke up again. What do you mean, that the world ended?"

So Marisu described what she saw and felt, how the world had literally come to an end after Ken was supposedly killed by Despair's attack. Neither of them could make any sense of it. However, the both of them agreed that they had one thing in common, that they needed to figure out what was going on, and how to stop it. And so a truce was made, to work together for as long as necessary, until this strange cycle of death and destruction was broken.

* * *

Marisu and Ken went through many, many time loops. More than she had bothered to keep track of. She was growing very weary of it all, and she became more and more distant with every passing iteration. Everything she did became rote and routine; beating Saiarks became a second nature to her, as they all attacked using the same, recognisable pattern which she would immediately exploit and overcome with ease. The only exception to this was Cure Despair. Despite all her efforts, despite memorising Despair's each and every move, she would never be able to defeat that dark Cure and that made her increasingly frustrated every time the world ended with Despair.

One day, Ken approached her, seemingly agitated about something. It seemed like it couldn't wait, and she was dragged out of Akiko's salon while in the midst of entertaining a customer.

"What's so important that you had to drag me out from work like this?"

"You need to know this immediately!" Ken wasn't settling down at all. "She's coming for me, so you need to know about Monolith!"

Marisu raised an eyebrow. "Slow down. What's this Monolith?"

"I was investigating, you see. Following Despair's civilian self. Caught her speaking through some kind of comms device. Picked up pieces of clues from her words. Then it hit me. It hit me so clearly. This is so much bigger than just Pikarigaoka. Why did we not think of this before?"

"Slow down! You're speaking incoherently." Marisu grabbed on to Ken by his upper arms, attempting to hold him still, and then said to him slowly, word by word: "Start from the beginning."

"There's no time! I need to tell you about Monolith. You see, all this while, every time we loop back again, Despair has been-"

Marisu threw Ken aside just as a blast of dark energy hit the ground where they had just been standing. The impact was strong enough to throw her backwards. She slammed into the wall of Akiko's salon and a star-burst of pain filled her head. Her legs immediately gave way and she dropped to her knees. She shook her head, trying desperately to dispel the haze that clouded her vision. She saw the menacing silhouette of Cure Despair standing over Ken, who was frantically trying to crawl away from her.

Marisu fumbled for her _PreChanMirror_, but the heavy feeling at the back of her head as well as the stinging pain from her upper body and back slowed her reflexes down considerably. Despair seemed to change, morphing into a more fearsome being complete with large, bat-like wings. She raised a grotesque hand, its palm and digits bubbling with dark energies waiting to burst. Then she brought them down onto Ken's head, and that was the last thing she saw before everything turned black.

And then she woke up on the familiar park bench again, to meet Akio again, to defeat the same Saiark again, and to meet the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team all over again. But this time something was very different: Ken did not recognise her at all…

* * *

**Author's Notes**: So, a flashback episode. It seems that there's always one of those in every story such as this. :-)

Kamico: I'll say that you've hit the spot with 1/3 of your points, while the other two are off, even though you've roughly got a hint of what's happening.

Muhammad Izzat Awwal: I didn't exactly say _all_ my cards, but _most_ of them. In any case, I'm not sure I fully understood your theories, but I think it's safe to say that while you're not exactly close, but you've got some ideas in there that are close to the truth.

And on to the chapter references... well, not much this time, actually:

Strength, Dexterity and Constitution is a reference to the physical stats of characters in the Dungeons &amp; Dragons roleplaying game.


	14. Where in Pikarigaoka is Akahime Marisu?

**Chapter 14: Where in Pikarigaoka is Akahime Marisu?**

"Are you all right?"

Those same words, repeated over and over for every failed timeline that Marisu and I were forced to go through. I had not yet begun to comprehend the shocking scene that played out in that last timeline, and here I was being greeted by those words again. I stared at the two curious girls and the fairy playing possum, flabbergasted and unsure how to respond.

"Are you all right?" Megumi asked again.

"Sorry, no." I looked away, not wanting to look her in the eye, when I felt my right hand grasp something solid. I quickly slid the object behind my back, not wanting the two girls to notice the _PreChanMirror_ and the trio of cards that came with it. "No, I'm not all right at all."

"Did something happen?" She edged closer, curious about what it was that I had behind my back.

"Sorry," I repeated. "I- I've got a lot on my mind. I just want to be left alone."

Megumi eyed me with a concerned look on her, but eventually backed away, giving me the space that I sorely needed at the moment. There was a lot going on in my mind now, and it wasn't the time to just waltz off and pretend like nothing happened. The world had just ended. Everyone had really died, and then it was recreated all over again? Was that it? Or is there some other explanation to all this? Having so many questions and no answers to them disturbed me to no end. I kept thinking of everything that had happened, trying to piece together answers from all the events that have come to be, but was nowhere near any kind of truth that I could theorise.

Someone offered me a hand. I didn't want to get up and was about to push it away when I noticed the familiar wrapped candy in that person's hand. "Would you like a honey candy?" Yuuko asked with that infectiously cheerful smile of hers.

How did she get here? This was definitely a deviation from the standard parameters. Oh great, now I'm sounding like Cure Despair.

I took the sweet from her and and proceeded to unwrap it. "Thanks." With a quick toss, it was slowly melting in my mouth, tickling my taste buds with its sweet and mouth-watering flavour.

Megumi appeared behind Yuuko, her face lit up by yet another infectious smile that was so typical of one that would title herself Lovely. I tried to pay no heed to it, but that took a greater amount of effort than I had imagined. "You looked like you were lost for such a long time," she explained. "I didn't know what to do, so I gave Yuu Yuu-chan a call."

Was I really daydreaming for that long? Well, time can quickly pass when one was deeply lost in thought, but if that was the case… The distant sound of an explosion, quickly followed by a panicked crowd, interrupted my brief contemplation. That must have been Namakelder's Saiark from the shopping district. By right we were supposed to be on our way there when the attack started, but due to delays caused by my own lapse in concentration, we are now a lot further away than usual.

"Sorry, but we have to go," Megumi said as she sprinted into town with Hime and Yuuko following close behind.

I slowly picked myself up and stared at the Precure transformation device in my hand. For once, I was hesitating. I watched the three girls rushed into town, their silhouettes growing smaller and smaller as they furthered their distance from me. "What the hell." I took a deep breath and then darted off after them.

* * *

"Sai-ark!" The enormous worker Saiark screamed its battle cry as it took a swing at Cure Fortune with an enormous sledgehammer. Fortune barely managed to duck to one side as the hammer came crashing down, shattering the concrete pavement beside her. A legion of Choiarks proceeded to swarm around her, further impeding her movement and agility. Megumi, Hime and Yuuko hastily transformed and leapt to their comrade's aid while I found myself a good spot to observe the ongoing battle, making sure to stay out of sight from the swarm of Choiarks teeming around. That would have been easier said than done with so many of them on the loose, but fortunately their attention was on the Precures and Saiark at the moment.

The battle continued to progress in a manner that I had seen so many before. Despite what could be considered splendid teamwork among the four Precures, this particular Saiark was ridiculously tough and showed no signs of weakness as it fought on and repelled attack after attack without breaking a sweat. Each wide angled swing from its sledgehammer pushed the girls further back, forcing them to relinquish more and more ground as the Saiark continued to corrupt even more of the surrounding plaza, turning it into a bizarre jungle of mould and fungi. Namakelder simply ignored the commotion below him and lazed around the rooftops.

It shouldn't be long now. Cure Crimson should appear on cue to turn the tide, pushing the Saiark back and then purifying it in one swift move. However, that time quickly came and went without the crimson Cure showing up. The four girls were now driven to a corner, desperately trying to hold that massively terrifying sledgehammer wielder back as it pummelled their magical defences over and over again.

If things continued at the current pace, there was only one way that this battle would end, and I didn't like the thought of it at all. I anxiously looked around, hoping to see a silhouette of Cure Crimson lurking around as she was wont to do, ready to dive-bomb onto the enemy and defeat them with one hit. A part of me was still convinced – or perhaps just hopeful – that she would show up eventually, but that was all just wishful thinking in the end. She wasn't going to show up, and if someone doesn't do anything soon, this timeline might end in disaster a lot sooner than expected.

I stared nervously at the _PreChanMirror_ in my hand, unsure of what would happen if I actually tried to use it. Flipping through the three _PreCards_ just made things worse. The three semi-transparent cards stacked up together to form a red dress, and that just brought more shivers down my spine. There was no doubt about it – if I tried to use the cards then that would be my outfit. Could anyone imagine a cross-dressing guy jumping around punching Saiarks? It was certainly not the kind of thing that I would do lightly, not even on a dare.

The constant hammering continued. Cure Honey was trying her best to support her comrades as Lovely and Princess struggled to maintain their magical barrier against the Saiark's onslaught. Fortune was being surrounded by Choiarks and, despite constantly sending them skyward with her attacks, even more crawled out of the woodwork to engage her in combat. There was no end to them at all; where the hell did all these faceless mooks come from anyway?

There was a loud cracking sound – Lovely and Princess' magical defences shattered from that last impact. The Saiark raised its sledgehammer over its head once more, ready to bring it down on the Precures. That was the last straw, or at least it was what I tried to convince myself of. I flipped open the clamshell device, slid the cards into the designated slots and turned the small rolling ball to activate it. As quietly as I could, I muttered under my breath. "Precure rolling mirror change."

In a flash of light that nearly blinded myself, I felt as if I was in someone else's body. It was a lot lighter, perhaps even shorter too. After a brief moment of self-examination, it was confirmed that my outfit was indeed reflected by the trio of _PreCards_. There was one huge, glaring difference, however: I was now a girl. Yes, there was no doubt about it. I had become a shorter, petite girl with – I reached back to feel my hair – medium-length hair tied up into a single ponytail. It was a most unsettling predicament for sure. Was this a temporary transformation? Whatever it was, this had better not be a case of _Valkyrie Yuuki_ or I'd be seriously considering rage-quitting team Pretty Cure to bring about the next apocalypse with my own bare hands.

The sound of a crash brought me out of my temporary moment of self-reflection. The Saiark's weapon had just demolished yet another piece of masonry as the Happiness Charge team lay scattered around the point of impact. I lowered by body posture, putting more weight on my right leg, curled my fist into a ball, and then vaulted forward and-

I misjudged my leap. Instead of rushing headlong towards the Saiark, I ended up soaring right past it, my leg clipping the tip of the Saiark's sun glasses slightly as I continued to rise into the air. At the apex of the jump, I quickly observed where I would end up and prepared to touch the ground. Fortunately the area would be devoid of obstacles, otherwise I would need to brace myself for a crash landing. Upon reaching the ground, I spun around and bent my knees to make the journey back, but froze instead. The Saiark was already in mid-air, on a direct collision course with me, its sledgehammer raised in a manner that I totally did not approve of.

I rolled aside just moments before the sledgehammer smashed the ground. I stopped short and spun around, using my legs to propel me towards the Saiark's exposed side. As I closed the distance, I craned my arm and curled my fist for a punch… but before I could realise that simple strike, the Saiark swung its free hand in my direction, batting me aside like the annoying fly that I was.

The wind was forcefully ejected out of my lungs when I came to an abrupt stop courtesy of a concrete wall behind, leaving me wheezing and gasping for breath. The Saiark charged again, its sledgehammer pointed forward like a lance as it rapidly closed its distance. I instinctively back-pedalled to increase my distance, only to hit that very same wall behind me. Before I had time to even admonish myself for such stupidity, the tip of the hammer was in my face.

I've never been driven through a wall before. All I could say from this experience is, I wouldn't want anything of this sort to happen again. Everything was a blur. I shook my head, trying to clear things up. Finally I could see a little bit better, and it was just in time to notice the Saiark standing over me. It raised its weapon over its head again, ready to deal the killing blow. Perhaps I should just retry this fight all over again in the next timeline…

A volley of blue energy rained down on the Saiark's exposed side, followed by a focused pair of pink beams of light. Something purple clipped the side of its head next, followed by a bright green clover swatting it from above. The Saiark stumbled, losing its balance and was about to fall on top of me. A spark of inspiration lit up in my mind, as if telling me exactly what to do and my body obediently obeyed. Both legs folded back out of instinct. A tingling sensation coursed from my left forearm, through my body, and to both legs when the dial on the _LovePreBrace_ was spun. "Precure kicking kick!" Wait, what the hell did I just say?

When I looked back at the Saiark, it was already stumbling in the opposite direction. It was about to topple over on its back when I vaguely heard the voices of Lovely and Princess yelling "Twin Miracle Power Shoot!" The Saiark was engulfed in a field of pink and blue magic, purified at last.

* * *

I thought that my ordeal had just ended. I was mistaken. A new one had just started.

The four Precures Lovely, Princess, Honey and Fortune were standing over me. "Are you all right?" Lovely asked, extending a hand towards me.

Those same words again, but over a completely different context this time. "Umm…" I was lost for words. What are you supposed to even say at a time like this?

"We've never seen you before," Princess butted in from behind Lovely. "Are you a new Precure? What's your name? Would you like to join our Happiness Charge team?"

"Hey, don't make such decisions on your own," Fortune reprimanded her.

The four of them watched me intently, waiting for an answer. "I'm C- Cure…" I don't know, what the hell was I supposed to call myself anyway? This was all completely unexpected and I didn't think to come up with a name ahead of time. So judging from my outfit, I'm supposed to be a red Pretty Cure. Perhaps I should just go with that, plain and simple. "I'm Cure Red." As soon as I announced my Cure name I immediately regretted it and wanted to bury myself in the deepest hole that I could find. What sort of name is Cure Red? Who the hell names herself after a colour… oh right, Crimson is a colour too. Silly me. I slapped myself in the forehead for good measure.

"Did you hurt your head?" Honey asked, leaning over.

I scrambled back, much to the surprise of the others. "This is… kind of awkward…"

"Oh you don't have to be shy," Lovely said with a big smile on her. "We're all Precures, after all."

Yeah right. With one major, super spectacular difference, lady. Not that I was going to tell it to any one of you. It was time to change the subject. A tactical deflection, so to speak. "Umm… have you seen Cure Crimson around?"

"Cure Crimson?" Lovely asked. "I've not heard of her." She turned to give her friends a questioning look. The three of them shrugged their shoulders.

"Is she a friend?"

"Y-yeah… kind of… I guess," I mumbled. I quickly scrambled to my feet and took another step back. "In any case, I've got to go find her so… see you all later. Or something!"

I made a great leap over the town, observing the fact that the demolished buildings and broken streets have already begun to magically self-restore. Upon landing I took another leap, intending to go back towards the riverside. In mid leap, I realised that someone was still behind me. It was Cure Lovely.

"Hey, you know that you can fly, right?"

"Ah… yeah," I said as I touched down on the soft, green grass by the river. "Of course I know that. I was just… um… practising my jumping. Can't keep relying on flight all the time, right?"

So I continued to hop away while Lovely stopped to stare with her jaw slightly dropped. Once out of sight, I darted into an alley and found a little alcove to bury myself in for a while. With a deep breath, I undid my transformation and quickly ran myself through an introspective self-assessment. I heaved a sigh of relief that nothing has changed – I'm still good ol' Ken the teenage boy, male, not-girl and non-female. That was a huge relief. Now that that's over, the next problem would be the whereabouts of Marisu. I quietly recited the words that she said: "Find me when you wake up."

The problem there was that I had absolutely no idea where in Pikarigaoka she might be.

* * *

It was a bit ironic that I found myself back at the shopping district after all my efforts at getting away from that place. In my defence, it seemed to be the best place to start searching. Most people would come here to do their marketing, and assuming Marisu was also a resident somewhere in Pikarigaoka, she would probably be no stranger to these parts as well. With a description of her in mind, I proceeded to go from store to store, asking the vendors if they knew a girl that fit my description. At least that was the primary plan of action; if that failed, I'd figure I could visit the karate dojos and other martial arts establishments in the area. Knowing how effective Marisu was in battle, perhaps she might have spent some of her time training at one of them.

Three hours later, I was sitting dejectedly at Omori Gohan. Obviously, my investigation had gone nowhere at all. My stomach was also complaining, so perhaps a meal and a cup of coffee would help clear my head. I hoped that money was not an issue; though I still had a bit of cash from previous timelines stashed away in my pocket, but serial numbers could be a problem with the notes. At least the coins wouldn't pose any problem, but not everything can be bought by a mere handful of coins. In any case, I couldn't argue with my stomach, so serial numbers be damned.

"Oh, it's you again," Yuuko commented as she brought out my meal.

"Eh, me?" I asked, surprised, before realising that she must be referring to our first meeting at the river, not the shopping district.

"My, you're a jumpy one," she said as she laid the food and drink out on the table. "Is anything wrong?"

"Why would you think that anything was wrong?"

"For starters, I heard that you've been looking for someone. From that look on your face ever since you came in here, you've probably not found that person yet." Yuuko took a seat across the table and watched me intently, waiting for a response.

"I'm looking for a friend. Her name is Marisu." I proceeded to describe what she looked like while being very careful to avoid anything Pretty Cure-related.

"My, she certainly is a strange one," Yuuko sat at attention after I finished my description. "However, I've never seen anyone fitting that description before. Is she also new in town?"

"I think she is. But I'm not really quite sure."

"If you need any help, I'm sure that my friends will be glad to lend a hand. There's also another new girl in town who's been looking for a friend. I wonder if you and she might be related."

"Who, me? I'm not sure I know who you're talking about." I tried my best to remain indifferent on that matter.

"Well, I thought so. I do hope that you manage to find your friend though. She sounds like a keeper," Yuuko said with a wink.

"Hey…" I began to protest, but Yuuko was already getting up from her seat.

"It's been fun chatting, but I've got to get back to work."

* * *

I spent the rest of the afternoon searching the other parts of town, slowing moving away from the town centre and covering the outskirts, but all my efforts were in vain. I began to question whether Marisu was still alive at all. Cure Despair did do a number on her that last time. Her last words continued to ring in my head and that was the only thing that kept me going.

The sky soon turned bright orange. Evening had come to Pikarigaoka, and I found myself at the river bank once again, but this time further up river, closer to the edge of town. There was an open field nearby and several young children were playing soccer there. So far the search for Marisu has been in vain, but there were now even more pressing matters at hand. I would have to conclude my search for the day and continue tomorrow as the bigger issue now was accommodation. I had not set up shop at the Embassy like the previous timelines and I couldn't just show up at the front door unannounced, so alternate means of lodging were needed. Perhaps a budget hotel to spend the night would suffice?

There was a splash, followed by some excited chatter. One of the boys had kicked the ball too far off in the wrong direction and it was now floating in the river. Fortunately the current was not very strong so it was still floating near the edge, but it was slowly but surely drifting away and towards the middle of the river. The discussion between the children became livelier; it seemed like they wanted the culprit to wade into the waters to retrieve the ball. That can't be good.

Slowly but reluctantly, the boy approached the river bank on his own. That's definitely not good at all. I ran towards him and reached the boy just as he was about to take a dive into the water. I grabbed on to his right arm and pulled him back up. "Are you crazy, boy? This is too dangerous!"

Someone ran past me and jumped into the water. It looked like a girl around my age. She swam towards the floating ball and got a hold of it without incident. When she turned around to toss the ball back, I recognised her face instantly.

"Thanks for stopping Akio back there," she said as she climbed out of the river, completely drenched.

"Marisu?"

She responded with a blank stare, her jaw dropped in surprise. "How do you know that name?"

"You don't recognise me?"

She stared at me for some time before shaking her head. "Sorry, I don't."

"Then what do you remember?" I placed my arm on her shoulder, but she immediately recoiled so I withdrew it. "Do you remember being a Pretty Cure, or fighting Saiarks alongside the Happiness Charge Precure team? Do you recognise the name Cure Despair?"

"I-" She stumbled backward and she clutched the sides of her head. "I became Cure Crimson to protect Akio but I don't know what the rest of it is all about. How do you know all this? How do you know me?"

"Marisu, I'm your friend. The Happiness Charge team – Cure Lovely, Princess, Honey and Fortune – they are all your friends. Do you not remember anything at all?"

"No…" She continued clutching the sides of her head, as if in pain.

"Please, this is important. Try to think."

"Sorry… but I just can't think right now. My head hurts when I try to remember things."

"Alright, calm down. I'm sorry. It's my fault for putting you through this." I should have just slapped myself silly there and then. Here she was, soaking wet from head to toe, and yet I was still trying to push my own agenda and jog her memory while probably making those headaches even worse. What a lousy friend I'm turning out to be. "You're soaking wet. You should probably go and get changed before you catch a cold."

Marisu nodded and then turned to go, but stopped after taking a few steps. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Despite how awkward this seems, I still need to hear you out. You seem to know a lot more about me than I do and I want to hear it all. So please, come with me so that we can have a proper conversation after I've cleaned myself up."

That was good enough for now, so I took her up on that offer. "I'm Ken, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

**Author's Note**: So yeah, if Lovely can get away with _Punching Punch_, Ken can surely get away with _Kicking Kick_.

The chapter title is a reference to the franchise of games _Where in XXX is Carmen Santiago_.

In the anime _Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu_ (Gonna be the Twin-Tails!), the protagonist Mitsuka Soji is a male who transforms into a petite red magical girl with twin tails and calls him/herself Tail Red.

_Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki_ is a web comic where the protagonist Kanazuchi Yuuki is a male who transforms into a magical girl, but then remained a girl after de-transformation.


	15. Promises and Reality

**Chapter 15: Promises and Reality**

Akiko's home was at a small apartment building near the outskirts of Pikarigaoka. A nearby wet market and a 24-hour convenience store located at the corner of the block provided nearly all the daily necessities for people living nearby. It therefore made sense as to why no one in town had recognised Marisu – she had little reason to venture far from where she was staying. The only reason the kids went out of their way towards the riverside today was because they had experienced frequent Saiark attacks near the local playground and had decided to congregate at an alternative spot for the time being. With the recent incident, however, they will probably be rethinking their plans.

Marisu was still in the shower, cleaning herself up while I spent some time chatting with Akiko and Akio. There wasn't much to learn about Marisu that I didn't already know, but I was still impressed that she managed to find herself a decent place like this. Of course, it wasn't as grand as the Embassy, but on the other hand it had the nice, warm familial feel to it. The happiness levels in this part of town could easily rival the heart of Pikarigaoka any time of the year.

Once Marisu had finished her shower, Akiko invited us all to dinner. We were treated to a meal of rice and a variety of dishes, all fresh and bought from the local wet market. The four of us made this a lively affair, and I also learnt more about the family's lives and how the Phantom Empire invasion had affected them all. Besides that, Akio seemed very fond of Marisu and constantly talked about her.

"Hey, did you know that Marisu-neesan is a Precure?" The little boy blurted out, feeling smug and proud of himself. For that, he received a firm admonishment from his mother.

"It's alright," I said in Akio's defence. "He's just a little kid, and yeah, I know that she's a Pretty Cure. We go a long way back, her and I."

"Really? Are you a Precure too?" The little boy's eyes were beaming, like an eager kid waiting for a story of tall tales and high adventure.

"Do I look like a girl to you?" I retorted, and they all laughed together. At least no one saw me shift uncomfortably. And so we continued to eat while exchanging light banter, and for once I could see the lighter and cheerful side of Marisu – something that she had always kept close to her heart.

"Do you have a place to stay for the night?" Akiko asked once we had finished our meal.

"Don't worry about me," I said. "I'll figure something out."

"You don't have to be so modest about yourself," she replied. "You're welcome to stay for the night if you wish, though we don't have an extra bed so you'll have to take the sofa. Besides, any friend of Marisu is a friend of ours."

"Thanks. I'll consider your offer." We continued to make small talk for a while before it was time for Akiko to tuck her son into bed. I decided to wander off and look for Marisu.

Marisu was staring out the window, lost in thought when I approached her. "How was I like?" She must have sensed me approach. Either she was that good, or I just sucked at stealth.

"You were strong. Tough. A bit of a hothead, maybe. But boy, when you came down on a Saiark, it was the end of it. There was nothing you couldn't beat." I decided to leave out the part about Cure Despair; it didn't seem like an appropriate time to bring up depressing topics, after all.

I thought my words would have an encouraging effect on her, but instead she just looked down, sad and confused. "I don't know, Ken. That doesn't sound like me at all. When I fought a Saiark the other day, I was scared. It was so big and strong, I kept wondering if I would even survive at all. How can I be the great warrior you say I am?"

"But you defeated it, didn't you? Even though you may have thought it was your first fight, but maybe somewhere deep down in your heart, you remembered how to fight. You just need to have more faith in yourself."

"So what happened to me? How did I forget all this?"

"It's complicated. You see, we're trapped in some kind of time loop. We've actually gone through the same time period many, many times already. Over and over, we've been trying to discover the reason for this. There was one particular instance where I thought I might have discovered something important, but I lost my memories after that – the same way you seem to have now. That last loop, you saved me from a very powerful enemy called Despair, but in doing so I believe it had cost you your memories. That's why you are experiencing your headaches right now. Whenever you try to think about the past, you find only throbbing pain."

At first she didn't reply. It was a lot to take in, after all, so her silence was completely understandable. But eventually, she broke the silence. "I think I understand. Usually it would be difficult to take such an outlandish story in, but a lingering feeling tells me that everything you said is true. It is as if my subconscious self was still acknowledging everything that had happened even though the experience has already been erased from me." She seemed even more down after that and held her hand close to her heart.

"Let's not talk about this any further," I suggested. "Besides, it's getting late. You've been through a lot already and for once, you deserve a good rest."

As I got up to leave, something on her desk caught my attention. It was a thick manga magazine that seemed vaguely familiar. Out of curiosity, I picked it up and flicked through the pages, coming across the first episode of _DokiDoki! Pretty Cure_ within its pages. Something clicked in my mind. "Where did you get this?"

"I don't know. It was with me when I woke up." Marisu turned around and walked over to the desk, casually flipping the pages of the book as she spoke. "These _DokiDoki! Pretty Cure_ girls don't seem to be anything like what I am though. From the way they transform to the way they fight, and even their enemies, the Jikochuu are not anything like the Saiarks. Have you seen any Precures like them?"

"Well, I've not met them before," I said, noticing the bit of scribble on one of the pages that she flipped past. "But that's not important. What this tells me though, is that you're not from this world, aren't you?"

Marisu silently nodded.

"I see. So the both of us are probably a lot more similar than I had thought. Can I borrow this for a while?"

"Sure, though I'm not sure if you will find anything interesting about it."

"Thanks. I'll make sure to return it to you first thing in the morning." With that, I bade Marisu a good night and went back into the living room. And so as it turned out, I did accept Akiko's invitation to stay for the night.

* * *

That night I spent much of my time awake, thinking about the significance of Marisu's magazine. Certainly there was a clue to it all, if I could only see the big picture and not just the individual pieces of the puzzle. What does _DokiDoki! Pretty Cure_ have anything to do with any of this at all? As Marisu had already noted, they are completely different from us Happiness Charge Precures. We fought a different enemy, and we also used different transformation devices-

That was it. I just knew something was off when I had seen Cure Despair's transformation device from before; her costume's motifs weren't anything based on a Happiness Charge Pretty Cure either. I thought back about everything I knew of the Pretty Cure franchise. I also reflected on Despair's motivations, considering what kind of motives she had for steering our actions, and therefore this world's future, towards. On the surface, her actions did come across as being aimed towards steering the world to a Bad End by throwing distractions in the form of Marie and Miss Sugimoto at us. If the Happiness Charge Precure team did not properly unlock Axia's true power as well as their _Innocent Forms_, they would not be able to defeat Cure Tender and Mirage. However, that did not explain why she would eventually interfere at the end, citing cryptic statements about parameters and so forth.

I considered the Heartcatch Pretty Cure next. The one common element there was the constant presence of a powerful opponent that challenged the Pretty Cure – the Dark Cure. However, beyond those similarities, I could not tie in any other trait or activity to whatever was going on here and now.

Going back to earlier Pretty Cure series, one potentially good lead involved the Fresh Pretty Cure. Despair's transformation device looked very much like the _Linkruns_ that the Fresh team used to transform. This series also featured advanced technology from another parallel world, Labyrinth, and involved the concept of multiple parallel worlds coexisting in all of reality. Although that really didn't mean much overall in a series which treated inter-world travel like taking a taxi, and where fairy mascots always came from those other worlds, but the Fresh Pretty Cure series put a spotlight on the existence of such worlds and also made it a technological aspect that could be explored further. Do parallel worlds and alternate timelines have anything in common? It was a stretch to try and establish a link, but that discrepancy aside, this lead seemed to be the one with the most promise. The only remaining question then was, did all these Pretty Cure teams actually exist here? There was only one way to find out.

I was up very early the next morning. Admittedly, I did not sleep much, so that contributed to my early morning activities. Marisu was still fast asleep, so I decided not to disturb her and thanked Akiko for her hospitality, promising that I would repay her someday. I bade her and Akio farewell and asked them to send my regards to Marisu. Then I made my way to the riverside and followed the river downstream towards the heart of town. Soon I reached my destination – the bridge that spanned across the Pikarigaoka River, where Megumi and her friends traversed daily on their way to school. I just hoped that I didn't miss them.

Several minutes passed as students from Megumi's school shuffled across the bridge. Judging by the casual manner that they were walking, school would not be starting anytime too soon. I waited some more, and soon my patience was rewarded. The familiar redhead and bluenette appeared across the bridge, walking side by side while Ribbon floated in between. I waved and called out to them.

"Oh, it's you from the other day," Megumi said. She must be wondering how I managed to track her down. Hime, on the other hand, automatically assumed her timid position behind Megumi.

"Sorry, I just wanted to ask you something very important."

Megumi looked puzzled. "Something important?"

"Do you know Momozono Love?"

Megumi slowly nodded, and my mind screamed "yes!"

"Cure Peach, right?"

Megumi gasped, looking surprised. "How do you know about Love?"

I scratched the back of my head, feeling butterflies in my stomach. "It's… complicated. But I need to confirm a few things with her and her friends. Specifically, her friends at Labyrinth – Higashi Setsuna?"

"So, you want my help to meet them?"

"Well, I think I can try to manage that on my own. I just need to figure out how to get to Clover Town from here."

"Oh, that's easy-" Megumi said, then fell silent as she apparently felt a nudge by her side, courtesy of Hime. "Umm, can you wait for a moment, please?"

The both of them turned their backs on me and proceeded to whisper between themselves. Occasionally Hime would throw an odd glance at me and then quickly look away when she noticed me staring back. I quietly watched the pair, amused, as they were obviously discussing about my trustworthiness and whether they should disclose the whereabouts of their friends to a stranger like me. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally turned around to address me.

"Umm…" Megumi looked like she wanted to say something, but was hesitant to speak her mind.

"Look, I can probably figure out how to get to Clover Town on my own, eventually. It's really not secret information. I just thought I could get a more immediate answer from you, once I had confirmed certain facts first." I shrugged. "I'm not really up to no good or anything. Really."

"Really?" Hime asked, her eyes narrowed and fully trained on me.

"Really really." If it helped, I also turned to Megumi and tried to put on the most innocent face that I could imagine (and no, it wasn't Puss in Boots) while saying, "Pretty please?"

"Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt to show you the way." Megumi proceeded to direct me to the train station, instructing me on which line to board, how much it would cost and how long the ride would take. Her instructions seemed easy enough, but the journey would cost me several hours. My hunch had better be right, or I would be left stranded, having wasted at least a day chasing down a false lead. I thanked them and went on my way, keeping my fingers crossed behind my back all the way to the station.

* * *

The journey to Clover Town would take a few hours, so I quietly sat in the train car, taking in the scenery while the subdued clacking of the wheels against the railway tracks served as background ambiance. The ride was part of a public network of rails, so the train made several stops at multiple stations where passengers embarked and disembarked. The further out we went, the fewer passengers got on board and so by the time the train had left Pikarigaoka for good, it was just me and a few odds and ends in the train car with me. I lazily looked outside the window, wondering how much longer it would take when I noticed a figure darting across the open fields at great speed. The figure appeared to be following the train. I looked to the opposite side and found another figure running towards the train. They were moving too fast to be ordinary humans.

As I got up and tried to observe the figures with closer scrutiny, they both leapt into the air. Their trajectories were leading them right to this train, and soon enough the sound of their landing on the roof of the train startled the few passengers who were on board. Not being sure if they would attempt to barge in from above or not, I quickly made my way to the nearest emergency exit and prepared myself for whatever came next. Soon enough, the train screeched to a halt, as if someone had pulled on the emergency brakes. The train car shuddered violently and anyone unprepared for this was thrown forward from the momentum. I clung to the nearest handhold to retain my position and wellbeing.

Once the train had fully stopped, I immediately swung the emergency exit open and leapt out. Upon landing, I made my way towards the locomotive but before I had gotten far, the two figures from earlier leapt out from the cab to face me directly. I immediately recognised them, and knew that they were sent after me.

"Cure Sparkle. Cure Twilight. How nice of you to drop by."

"Cut the chit chat, boy. You know why we're here," Sparkle said.

"You came all the way here just to kill me?"

"Kill? No one said anything about killing you," Sparkle replied. "We're here to send you back to Pikarigaoka. And honestly, I hope that you comply willingly. It's a major pain in the ass to play escort service for some random boy out of nowhere."

This was beginning to get frustrating, having to re-convince the two of them every cycle. Especially now, when I had more pressing matters to attend to. "Look, I don't have time for this. We've been through this before already. You really don't want to be working for Despair, and I think your sister quietly agrees with me."

"What the hell? How did you know about my sister?"

Twilight remained awfully quiet throughout this exchange, so I thought to give her a poke. "Cure Twilight. Don't you agree that working for Despair just doesn't seem right? You never really explained the last time why the two of you were working for her. Well, besides being promised to be with the one you loved, but I don't think that's the whole story, isn't it?"

Sparkle moved between me and her sister, raising her arm across to shield her from me. "You don't have to answer him. He's our enemy."

"Sparkle, as I said, we've already been through this. Try to remember. Doesn't this conversation seem all too familiar to you both?" Acting on a hunch, I brandished my _PreChanMirror_ in front of them. "Look, doesn't this ring a bell?"

Unfortunately that seemed to elicit a more hostile reaction from Sparkle. "So it looks like you intend to resist. So be it. Transform and bring it on."

I sighed, frustrated that this was going nowhere. "Fine. Have it your way – Precure rolling mirror change!"

* * *

Perhaps fighting wasn't the best of plans, especially when I had nothing but one fight under my belt whereas Sparkle and Twilight were seasoned veterans or perhaps even more. In any case, I found myself on the defensive, constantly forced to back away, dodge or duck as my opponents led the charge. Fortunately it was mostly Sparkle who was doing the striking while Twilight was more passive, acting as the scout and observer and warning her sister in advance of any unexpected moves from me. Not that I had any skill or expertise in the way of sneak attacks anyway.

Sparkle's strikes were quick and direct. Some could be dodged or sidestepped, but often I had to take the hit, hoping that my forearms could handle the brunt of her strength. I continued to try to reason with her. "It doesn't have to be like this."

"So what do you propose we do? Light up a camp fire, sing a couple of songs and tell each other stories?" Sparkle spun around, directing a roundhouse kick at my side. I craned my arm and tensed my shoulder muscles to receive the blow. The impact hurt like hell, but at least my arm took it in stride.

"Despair is deceiving you. You won't obtain any happiness from doing her bidding. She'll just end the world and you'll find yourselves repeating the same cycle all over again!"

"You expect me to believe such nonsense?" A rapid flurry of punches came next. Some were dodged, others parried.

"But it's the truth! I swear!" I leapt high and back, landing atop the roof of the stalled train car. "Try to remember! How many times have you gone through the same time loop, over and over again?"

"Shut up!" Sparkle lunged right at me, throwing a quick jab at my face. I deflected it, but opened myself up to the follow-up from her other hand. "Sparkle rising spark!"

The explosion at my torso sent me drifting straight up. Sparkle flew upward past me, then the back of her heel slam down hard on my exposed back. The ground quickly sped into my face. Trying to set aside the shock and fatigue, I rolled to one side just as Sparkle came dive-bombing onto my position, her fist powering into the ground like a pile driver. I tried to crawl away from her on all fours, but she grabbed a hold of my collar and pulled me up. Her arm was cocked back, fully prepared to throw a punch, and then her sister caught a hold of it before she had the chance to throw the punch.

"Please stop this," Twilight whimpered.

I looked up at Twilight and I saw the face of doubt and regret. All this while, she must have been listening and contemplating. Perhaps she had remembered something, or perhaps she felt a memory of a past that no longer existed. Regardless, it was a break in the action that I sorely needed. If only Sparkle would see things her way.

"Let go of me, sis. Why are you doing this?"

Twilight continued to hold on to her sister's arm tightly. "I think… I think the boy… I mean she… might have a point in all this."

"What are you saying?"

This was an opportunity, so I tried to take whatever advantage that I would. "Twilight, you remembered something, didn't you?"

"No," she muttered. "But I felt something. Somehow I felt that I have already known you, that this isn't the first time that we've met, and that what we are doing is wrong. I don't know of any better way to describe this feeling…"

"A feeling of déjà vu?"

"I guess you can call it that," she said.

Sparkle's vice-like grip on me loosened. I managed to work myself free and roll to one side, if only to get out of punching range. "Sparkle, calm down and listen to your sister. I'm trying to help."

"You say it like you think you are able to do anything, but you know nothing," Sparkle said. "You don't understand anything about out plight."

"Then make me understand." Seeing no response from Sparkle, I looked to Twilight next.

Twilight relaxed her grip on her sister, and then sat down on the grass with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her sister sat down beside her, wrapping her arms around her to comfort her. Then Twilight began her tale. "My sister and I are from different world where the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team had defeated the Phantom Empire. It was supposed to be a time of peace after fighting Saiarks for a long time. The people celebrated. Ordinary men, women, children and Pretty Cure alike mingled, and we even got to meet the heroines who led the charge into the Blue Sky Kingdom itself – Cure Lovely, Princess, Honey, Fortune, and the earth god, Blue. Oh, how beautiful his blue eyes were…"

Sparkle nudged her sister with her elbow. "Hey, focus."

"Well, one day, the world suddenly ended just like that. Without warning, everything turned grey, losing all of its colours and then turning to dust. We didn't know what to do; we were scared and helpless. Everyone we knew faded away and disappeared, until it was just the two of us. Then Cure Despair appeared and said that she could save us, bring us to a new world where none of this happened, if only we did what she told us to do. In return, she promised that we would be with the ones that we loved."

"Megumi and Blue?" I asked.

"I guess there's no need to deny any of it now," Sparkle answered. "It is true that I had a bit of a crush on Cure Lovely, as my sister did with Blue. And Despair promised us that in this world, we could have what we wanted, that somehow our desires could influence the way the world turned. It was as if she was telling us that here, the universe would revolve around us. But from the moment we woke up, she said we had to come and fetch you before we could get what was promised to us."

"But something felt wrong. Like a dream that you struggle to remember, or a faded memory hidden at the back of your mind. When you said that this wasn't the first time, some part of me felt like I should trust you," Twilight added. "I still feel that way. It's a feeling that I can't explain, but I know that we should trust you."

Their story explained a lot, but one thing did not make sense; rather, it was something that simply could not be possible. "How is she able to make such a promise? That the universe would revolve around you?"

"We honestly don't know," Sparkle explained. "It was just something that she seemed very confident of, but as you can see, promises and reality can be two completely different things."

"I see," I said, thinking more about her story, "but there's one more thing that's a mystery to me. Have you heard of anything called the Monolith?"

Sparkle sat at attention, narrowing her eyes. "Somehow that name feels familiar, as if… as if-"

A voice startled us from our relatively peaceful discourse. "What is this?" Cure Despair looked down upon us from the top of the stalled train car. "I sent the two of you to retrieve the boy. Explain your deviated course of action."

We quickly scrambled to our feet, falling into our respective fighting stances.

"Despair, what have you done to us?" Sparkle assumed front and centre position, arms raised to protect her sister and me from the dark Cure. "There's more to this than what you have said. Explain now!"

"Such discourse is unnecessary for you are merely tools in the greater scheme of things. Your deviation this time shall not be tolerated. Return to your predetermined paths or face summary reset."

I clenched my fist; my blood was boiling at her casual, condescending indifference towards us. "What sort of nonsense is that? Our deviation? Our predetermined paths? Summary reset? I don't know what your deal is, but you reek of hypocrisy and pretentiousness."

Despair remained as cool as ice, unflinching and unemotional. "Such insolence will not be tolerated. Cease your deviation and return to Pikarigaoka now."

"Sorry, but you don't get to tell us what to do. We've had enough of your bullshit and your false promises."

"I hate to say it, but I'm with the boy. Girl. Whatever," Sparkle said. In lighter moments, I would have had a snappy comeback for this, but not now. We had a really big problem standing right before us.

"Me too," Twilight muttered.

"So be it," Despair said. "You have obtained knowledge beyond the acceptable margins of error for this scenario. There can be only one solution to this." Black flames engulfed her once again, and the same, grotesque transformation started before our very eyes. I knew instantly what she had in mind, but there was too much at stake here for me to let it happen. However, even the entire Happiness Charge Pretty Cure team together with Cure Crimson wasn't able to stand up to Despair; I highly doubted that the three of us would be able to do the same, despite all our bravado and posturing. There was only one option: escape and live to fight another day.

"Sparkle, Twilight, listen to me very carefully. You need to kill me now."

"What?" the both of them exclaimed.

"Trust me. I promise that when this timeline resets, I will save you in the next loop. But right here and now, the three of us have no chance of defeating Despair, so our only hope is to see me dead in order to restart everything from the beginning."

"But-"

"All right," Twilight said. "I trust you. Sis, please do it for me." And as the raw, dark energies manifested and surrounded the dark Cure's transformed arm, Twilight threw herself at enemy.

"Twilight!" Sparkle screamed as her sister engaged the powered up Despair in close combat. It was immediately obvious even to an untrained eye that her sister was severely outclassed by her opponent. Sparkle's fists were clenched tightly as she turned to face me. "All right, if my sister trusts you, so will I. But betray us, and I swear that I will do everything in my power to make you pay."

"You won't have to go that far. I promise that I will save the both of you." With that, I undid my transformation. I looked Sparkle in the eye and we both nodded, sharing a silent understanding with one another. I closed my eyes as she went for my throat…

* * *

"Are you all right?"

Ah, those sweet, familiar and wonderful words that I wanted to hear. I opened my eyes to the familiar sight of Megumi, Hime and Ribbon. That same, reassuring sight of Pikarigaoka's skyline flooded my vision; the smell of the river and the sounds of the people and the city invigorated my senses. And then Cure Crimson landed right beside them.

I immediately sprang to my feet, nearly crashing headlong into Megumi. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Megumi took one look at her, then back to me again and asked, "You know Cure Crimson?"

"Yes. He's the one I'm looking for," Crimson announced before I could answer.

"Oh, so you're Ken," Megumi said, clasping her hands together. "Finally, we've managed to help to a friend find one another. Total and complete happiness indeed!"

Crimson did not seem very elated though; instead she had a very concerned look about her.

"Crimson, what's going on?" I asked.

"We need to talk. In private, if you please."

She was obviously very distressed and Megumi, Hime and Ribbon seemed to read the situation well enough, quietly nodding to one another before scuttling over to a further bench, giving us some space and privacy.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"When you were gone, something terrible happened." She buried her face in her hands, taking some time to calm herself down before continuing. "The world, it faded away and disappeared completely. The world actually ended, Ken, and I thought everyone was gone. But then I found myself waking up again, as if everything had just been a dream. But it wasn't a dream, wasn't it? Somehow time reversed and I was back where I started, and I remembered you. I remembered what you had told me, about the timelines resetting. What happened, Ken?"

Things seemed much clearer now that I understood it from her perspective. Nearly everything made sense now – if either one of us died, it triggered a reversal, reset, reconstruction or whatever the hell really happened, and the unfortunate survivor got to experience the whole process in morbid detail. The big mysteries remaining were, why us? What the hell is the Monolith, and how is that related to any of this?

"I'm sorry you had to experience that. It all happened because I died."

"What?" She stared at me, confused. "What are you talking about?"

I took a deep breath before replying. It was going to be complicated, after all. "Marisu, it's about the way the timelines reset. Whenever any one of us is killed, the world… resets, or rebuilds itself, or something. I don't know what, why or how. Maybe the timeline actually resets itself to some kind of predetermined point. Maybe reality itself gets reconstructed around that point. Whatever it is, I have no idea why it is centred on the both of us. However, I'm sure we can find answers to that, if only we were strong enough to defeat-"

There was a dull boom, scattering dust and debris into the air as something landed in the park very close to us.

"-the one standing in front of us now." I would have added a creative phrase that involved multiple expletives to the end of that, but my mind was already reeling from the shock of how quickly downhill all this was going.

Cure Despair had everyone's attention with her dramatic entrance. She raised her right arm and pointed her index finger in our direction. "All global parameters are nearly met. The final stage of operation shall commence at the end of this scenario. The time for you to truly die has come."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: According to _Wikipedia_, _DokiDoki! Pretty Cure_ was serialized in the shoujo manga magazine _Nakayoshi_, published by _Kodansha_ in Japan. This author has not personally seen the "phone book manga" first hand, and is simply making the assumption that the first episode of _Doki!Doki! Pretty Cure_ appears in full in that book.

Puss in Boots, in the _Shrek_ movies, used the sheer cuteness of his eyes and innocent expression to persuade others or lull opponents into a false sense of security.

In the movie _Aliens_, Burke said "Maybe we could build a fire and sing a couple of songs" as a snarky response to Hudson's panicked outburst.


	16. The World Shall Not End With Despair

**Chapter 16: The World Shall Not End With Despair**

Tensions were extremely high, and even then it was still an understatement when Cure Despair appeared before us at the very beginning of the timeline. Even worse, there were only four of us to fight her – if it came to it – and not any one of us had necessary skill or experience to stand on an equal footing with her. No, it was happening all too soon, and there wasn't any plausible way out of this. In the face of such an insurmountable obstacle, what else do Pretty Cures do but to face it with hyped up bravado and over-the-top posturing?

"Whatever you think will happen here, isn't going to happen. We won't let it happen, no matter what," I said. If there wasn't enough bravado in that, I could probably throw another number or two for good measure.

"It is impossible for so few of you to even challenge my power. You should be grateful that your lives be ended now, before all of reality is destroyed and then recreated in Monolith's image."

"What the hell did you say? After all that mystery and intrigue, and after all that tight-lipped denigration, Monolith is just some dumb end boss for us to take down?" I cracked my knuckles. "In that case, you're just a lowly mid boss who's going to get her ass kicked." Yep, keep going there with the bravado and posturing. Keep on going, Ken…

"Your insolence towards Monolith shall not be tolerated. Prepare to die now."

Megumi and Hime rushed to our side. "I don't know who you are, or what this is all about, but we'll not let you hurt any of our friends!" Megumi brought her _PreChanMirror_ up to bear.

Cure Crimson motioned for me to step back. "Find a place to hide, Ken. We'll take care of it from here."

"No, the three of you can't possibly face Despair on your own. In fact, I'm not even sure if four of us can even the odds. But either way, we'll face her together and do everything in our power to stop the end of the world."

As expected, I began collecting stares once I had my _PreChanMirror_ out. Even Crimson, who was standing beside me, turned her head. "Is that a-"

"Yes, yes it is, but all eyes on Despair, please. Now is really not the time." _Or will it ever be_, I should have added in retrospect.

And so Megumi, Hime and I spoke the words in unison: "Precure rolling mirror change!"

* * *

I really had no idea what we were doing, or what sort of plan anyone had, if any. We were throwing ourselves at Cure Despair who, in turn, practically swatting us around like the annoying mosquitoes that we were. Each time one of us tried to rush the dark Cure, she would casually counter our attack and then punch or kick us away and we'd crash into some random park ornament or nearby building, indirectly contributing to the wanton destruction of the city. I had laid a little bit more hope on Cure Crimson, but she seemed to be very wet behind the ears after having forgotten all her fighting experience and was also flailing about uselessly, relatively speaking. Lovely and Princess tried taking Despair on simultaneously, and on both fronts, but it was as if the dark Cure had natural 360-degree vision and casually batted the pair aside without breaking her stride.

It may have an opportunity that I was hoping for, or at least one that I thought I could take advantage of. While Despair was momentarily occupied by the aforementioned team-up attack, I slid behind her and threw myself at her. "Precure kicking kick!"

Too slow, for the dark Cure had already swatted Lovely and Princess aside, and without missing a single beat, proceeded to send a roundhouse kick in my direction. Her foot flared with dark energies and when our powers met, they repelled against one another and the explosive reaction sent me flying. I managed to maintain my balance as I nearly crashed onto the deck of the bridge. After skidding to a halt, I bolted towards the edge, grabbing hold of one of the suspension cables as leverage. The fight between Lovely, Princess, Crimson and Despair was still going on at full throttle, so I pulled back on the suspension like a catapult, and then shot myself back into battle. "Precure kicking kick!"

This time Despair caught me in the ankle instead. Then she swung me over her and slammed me into the ground. Before my senses could recover, I was swung around again. And again. Then several times more. My ears rang and my eyes were full of tears and dust as my face met with the ground multiple times. Finally Despair let me go, and then someone picked me up and quickly rushed away, landing abruptly after just a few moments in the air. After my vision had returned to me, I found myself looking at Cure Lovely. "Are you all right?"

I nodded and turned my attention back to the battle. Princess and Crimson were doing their deadly dance, skirting around Despair and trying to split her attention, perhaps buying time until the two of us could rejoin them? Then Despair seemed to blink out and back, reappearing with her elbow extended towards Cure Crimson. The unfortunate girl was sent her crashing into the river.

"This won't end well if the situation doesn't change in our favour."

"Don't worry," Lovely said. "We may have some sort of plan in the works. Just keep her busy for now."

That was fine by me. I used both legs to propel myself headlong into battle, then spun myself around in mid-leap and extended my right foot towards Despair. "Precure kicking ki-"

Despair's reverse hook kick, arced a little bit downward, sent my face into the ground again. Maybe I should be rethinking my approach here.

I rolled away from the action as Cure Lovely shot into view. She raised both hands to her face and a pair of concentrated beams shot right out of her eyes. Despair ducked under the eye beams and, retaining her low profile, bound towards the pink Cure with athletic grace and speed. As she closed her distance, she went into a rolling tumble, bringing herself up to a crouched position and swept a leg out at Lovely, throwing her off balance. Without giving the pink Cure a chance to recover, Despair followed up with an uppercut into Lovely's exposed torso.

A hail or blue magical pellets rained down on the dark Cure, forcing her to break off her attack on Lovely and turn around to face Cure Princess. Despair thrust both arms out with her palms facing forward, her right knee bent forward in what was most likely a blasting stance. Dark purple energy formed in front of her open palms, culminating into a beam attack on Princess. The blue princess formed a circular barrier of force to repel it. The stream of dark power crashed atop the shield like waves on a concrete wall. Princess grimaced as she struggled to maintain her wall of force. Cracks of light could be seen on its surface as Despair's attack continued to hammer it.

Then from a distance, a purple star shot towards Cure Despair, forcing her to abandon her sustained blasting to repel this new attack. She presented an open palm towards the star-shaped missile, holding it back with her own field of force. As the two opposing energies reacted to one another, bright sparks were splattered from the point of impact. As Cure Fortune's purifying attack struggled to break past Despair's barrier, the clouds above parted to reveal the familiar green clover-shaped bomb descending from the heavens. Despair raised her other free hand up against Cure Honey's finisher, and in a brief moment of awe, she was holding back two purifying attacks with just her bare hands.

And then I saw it – it was an opportunity; an opening! While she was holding off two simultaneous attacks, she couldn't possibly react to any more! I reached for the spinning disc on my left forearm, but Cures Lovely and Princess acted faster. They both came together, holding hands and combining their magical powers into a single and focused strike. They yelled "Twin Miracle Power Shoot!" as the pink heart encircled by blue rings blasted its way towards Cure Despair.

There was an explosion, followed by copious amounts of dust and smoke. Then as if all obstacles had been removed from their path, Fortune's purple star shot into the billows of smoke. Honey's clover dropped into the expanding cloud soon afterwards. As we waited for the blanketing dust and smoke to dissipate, Cure Crimson climbed out of the river, dripping wet from head to toe. She ran up to my side and watched the spectacle with the look of eagerness on her.

I twirled the little wheel on my _LovePreBrace_, craned my arm into a punching stance, and then jabbed the air while yelling "Precure, some kind of beam!" which shot a red globe of force into the swirling cloud. I really should spend time coming up with better attack names; furthermore, that wasn't even a beam at all. More dust was stirred and I also garnered some stares from the other Pretty Cures.

"What, that was just some insurance," I said and gestured towards the target zone while turning to face Crimson. "Do you want to have a go at it too?"

She simply facepalmed, and then using the same motion swept her hands up and through her wet hair, wiping off trails of water that was dripping onto her face and into her eyes. Then she re-assumed her fighting stance and kept a watchful eye on the dissipating cloud. The rest of us also returned our attentions to it, keeping a lookout for any signs of movement.

Soon we were able to see the silhouette of Cure Despair on her knees with one arm clutching her side. Her eyes glowed red, her shoulders heaving up and down erratically. "Precures" – her voice broke as she was interrupted by a cough – "fortune favours you today, but I shall return." After delivering her parting line, she blinked out of existence, leaving nothing but a small wisp of dark purple smoke in her place.

"Damn it, how come only the bad guys ever get the villain exit stage left trick?" I threw my hands up in the air for good measure.

For a while, I stared at the giant smoking crater in the middle of the park, expecting it to go away. But it didn't, along with all the broken park ornaments and demolished walls within the vicinity of the battle. Was it going to be a permanent landmark here in Pikarigaoka, commemorating our first notable victory against Cure Despair? From now on, coming here to watch the river and the setting sun in the evenings would be incredibly awkward. Speaking of awkwardness, I soon realised that I have collected some strange looks from some of the Precures – notably Lovely, Princess and Crimson. Oh right, it was most likely about _that_ specific thing. The awkwardness of the situation just went up several levels.

"Umm… long and complicated story? Can we forget about that and go meet Blue? It's kind of an emergency, really."

* * *

The ten of us had gathered around in the living room at The Embassy. All eyes were on me as I spun my incredulous tale of time loops, unfathomable plot lines and unexpected Pretty Cure-related issues. It was the most uncomfortable and embarrassing moment of my life. Megumi and Hime were quietly giggling behind at the back, probably sharing a private joke or something. Honey scooted over to them, clearly interested in whatever in-joke they were sharing between themselves. At least Seiji and Iona were the serious ones. Blue seemed very intrigued and was completely engrossed by my tale.

"That is quite a grave situation you describe," Blue said after giving my story some thought. "The end of not just the world, but all of reality itself? Words cannot describe how serious this is. But you say that you may be able to find answers over at Clover Town?"

"Honestly, it's just a hunch. The Precures there have a connection to Labyrinth, and related to that, advanced technology involving parallel worlds."

"It has to be more than just a hunch, if we're betting everything we have on this one thing to stop the end of everything as we know it."

Blue had a point, but there wasn't much else that I could add to that. Besides, if not Clover Town then where else? "I'm sorry, but that's all I've got."

Blue turned to Megumi and the others. "What do you think?"

Megumi snorted, probably having just passed on another in-joke with Hime and Yuuko, which prompted my response. "Look, can we all get past the fact that I'm a Precure and move on to saving the world instead?"

"Sorry," Megumi said. "My bad. But in regards to our options, I don't think that there's anything wrong with pursuing Ken's lead. We don't have anything better, do we?" Megumi scanned across the room, looking at everyone else in turn. She received either shrugs or blank expressions.

"Then it is decided," Blue announced as he got up to his feet. "Everyone, head to Clover Town. Find out everything you can about Monolith and Cure Despair. And I don't have to remind you all to be careful. As the earlier fight has demonstrated, Despair is not one to be trifled with."

Blue's mirror glowed with a soft and beckoning light, inviting us into his realm where we would all be able to instantaneously travel to our destination with nothing but heart and determination. We were led through familiar surroundings and soon reached Blue's command centre where he gestured towards a set of mirrors. "Megumi, focus your thoughts and feelings on your friends at Clover Town."

Megumi stepped forward and placed her hand on her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Soon enough, Megumi's reflection on the mirror's surface disappeared, and it was replaced by what looked like grassy plains under a blue sky. "I did it!"

We assembled in front of that mirror and prepared ourselves for the journey there when Blue stopped us. "Wait! We have a problem."

Blue was observing the mirrors at the head of his command centre. One of the mirrors depicted a large Saiark with green scarf rampaging around a familiar-looking place. Then it dawned to me – this was Namakelder's Saiark over at Pikarigaoka's shopping district. We hadn't done anything about it yet, as we were all preoccupied with the fight against Cure Despair.

"I'll handle this one." Iona marched towards the offending mirror. "I'll meet up with the rest of you in Clover Town later. Come on, Glasan, let's go."

I managed to grab a hold of Iona's arm before she could walk through the mirror. "No, this one's too powerful for you to handle on your own. We all need to deal with it together."

"But you also need to head to Clover Town, no?" Megumi asked.

"Yes, but we can worry about that after taking care of this Saiark."

"Then let us handle it," Megumi said. "You and Marisu can go to Clover Town ahead of us. We'll meet up with you two later."

I shook my head. "No, I've seen how this battle turns out many times already. The four of you aren't enough. Marisu and I need to be there as well, or it will end in your defeat."

Megumi placed her hand on my shoulder. "Do you trust me, Ken?"

I didn't know what to say. As much as I wanted to trust her, but reality and trust were completely different things, especially since I had personally witnessed the battle countless times. Then Iona sauntered up to me and took her place beside Megumi, placing her hand on my other shoulder. "We're all Precures. Please trust us to be able to handle this."

"But… I watched the four of you fight this Saiark so many times. You couldn't beat it, and Cure Crimson always came to your aid."

"But did you see us actually getting defeated?" Yuuko asked.

"N-no…" I paused to consider her words. "Crimson had always appeared before the Saiark could defeat the four of you."

"Then you don't really know the final outcome." Yuuko smiled, but my eyes darted from one girl to another, unsure if I should really let them go off like that or not. She added, "Precures trust each other. As long as our hearts are one, we will defeat this Saiark. And I promise you that we will meet up later in Clover Town."

"I don't know…"

"Don't worry about us," Iona said, her face lit up by a smile. "A promise is a promise. Besides, we have Cure Lovely with us. She's invincible!"

At least that managed to illicit a smile out of me. "All right. Just be careful, okay?"

After the four girls and the two fairies had left via mirror transportation, I turned to Marisu. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. Blue gave the both of us an approving nod as well. I took a deep breath before walking through the mirror that lead to Clover Town.

* * *

We arrived in a field of grass and purple flowers, on a hill that overlooked a large city. The city was divided by a great river – how many Pretty Cure cities had rivers going across them anyway? A single paved road led towards the city, and at the end of the path stood an archway that represented the entrance to Clover Town. Marisu and I began the trek down towards the city.

Once we had reached the archway into the city, we were greeted by a young girl in a pink jacket. Her short, brown hair was tied into a pair of ponytails. She held what looked like a small and yellow plush toy with round, pink ears in her arms. A four-pointed symbol lay prominently on its forehead. She ran up to us and waved. "Hello, you must be Ken and Marisu."

"You were expecting us?" I asked.

"Yeah. I received a call from Megumi a short while earlier." She seemed to be giving me a somewhat funny look, but then became self-aware of it once it attracted my attention, so she turned to Marisu next. "I'm Momozono Love, or Cure Peach. This is Chiffon," she said, indicating towards the fairy in her arms.

"Akahime Marisu, Cure Crimson. Pleased to meet you both."

"Ken and, well… I suppose you may already know the story. Anyway, where are the others?"

"Miki, Buki and Setsuna are on their way. They're just asking some people to stay indoors for the time being. We might be expecting some sort of trouble, aren't we?"

"Perhaps. Anyway, that's quite thoughtful of them." I was impressed by their preparation. The people of this town knew the Pretty Cures well, so giving everyone an advance warning in case a fight broke out would help minimise civilian casualties, thought I hoped that it would not come to that.

We passed some time by making idle banter with Love. She was very interested in Marisu in particular, asking her all sorts of questions regarding her background and of Pretty Cure matters. The poor girl tried her best to answer Love's questions politely, though it was quite obvious how shy and uncomfortable she was becoming. I thought to rescue her from Love's curiosity, but eventually that wasn't needed as we were interrupted by the arrival of Love's friends.

"I'm Aono Miki," the violet-haired girl with good fashion sense said. "Cure Berry," she added afterwards.

"Yamabuki Inori, Cure Pine," the shorter one with ginger hair greeted us.

"Higashi Setsuna, Cure Passion," the one with shoulder-length purple-haired said. She seemed the most mature among the four, and was also apparently keeping an eye on me.

A small, ferret-like fairy scuttled up onto Love's shoulder. "Hi there. I'm Tarte."

After we had all exchanged greetings and pleasantries with each other, I went straight down to business. "Higashi-san," I addressed the former Labyrinth member. "Do you still keep in touch with your friends at Labyrinth?"

"Do you mean Hayato and Shun?" Her two former colleagues, also known as Westar and Soular, were once generals working for the lord of Labyrinth, Moebius, who wanted to dominate the parallel worlds and subjugate them under his single-minded vision. Thanks to the efforts of the Fresh Pretty Cure, they managed to turn the two of them against their former lord and defeat Moebius. Together they saved countless worlds from Moebius' vice-like grip.

I nodded. "Yes. The world of Labyrinth is still the pioneer and leader in parallel world technology, no? I need to speak to them of something very important."

"I understand. I've been told that they have been monitoring some kind of anomaly over at the labs for several weeks now, and I have reason to believe that this may is related."

"An anomaly?" Now that piqued my interest.

"Honestly, this is just what I've picked up from casual conversations with them. I myself have been spending more time here than at Labyrinth – at least for these recent months – so I am a little out of the loop regarding this matter. I think it would be best if we head over there and speak to them directly."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Love threw her hand into the air. "Let's go!"

"You're not going anywhere!" a familiar voice boomed. Everyone spun around to face the source of the voice. Cure Despair was standing right outside of town, flanked by two other figures currently known only to me in this present timeline: Cure Sparkle and Cure Twilight.

Proverbial faeces, meet proverbial fan.

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

In _Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness_, Laharl referred to Dark Adonis as Mid-Boss, much to his chagrin.

In the anime _Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE!_ (Cute High Earth Defence Club LOVE!), the Battle Lovers called out random attack names when they first transformed and were unfamiliar with their beam attacks.

Villain Exit Stage Left is an entry on the TVTropes website.

What Iona says to Ken is a variation of the line from the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure's opening: "I'm Cure Lovely. I'm invincible!"


	17. The World Shall Not End With Despair II

**Chapter 17: The World Shall Not End With Despair Part Deux**

The pavement exploded into shrapnel and debris as Cure Despair's first strike came rocketing down upon us while everyone leapt out of the way. Cures Peach, Berry, Pine and Passion stopped, turned and doubled back to rush Despair in a single perfectly synchronised manoeuvre, attempting to use their strength in numbers to overwhelm their opponent. These girls truly fought together as a single unit, a well-oiled machine with everyone perfectly in tune with each other as a team.

While the Fresh Precure team kept Cure Despair occupied, Cure Crimson and I were left to deal with the two lackeys. This suited us nicely, as I hadn't forgotten my promise to them in the previous timeline. The only problem though was getting them to stand down long enough to be on speaking terms with each other.

Cure Sparkle's strikes came quickly and decisively, but I've had first-hand experience with her moves, foils and counters already. I backpedalled, further increasing our distance from the main battle with Despair so that we could have more private space once I had eventually gotten her to settle down. Over to my right, Cure Crimson took to the sky and engaged Cure Twilight in a dizzying aerial battle, like two bright sparks spiralling around one another, occasionally colliding with a release of energy.

"Sparkle, stand down, I'm not your enemy," I said as I parried an incoming punch, converting it into an arm lock and attempting to hold her down from behind.

With a twist, she let herself loose and threw a wild swing in my direction. "It'll take more than petty tricks like that to make me stop!"

I rolled underneath a spinning hook kick, then stopped down into a crouch and sent a snap kick towards her exposed side. She managed to swing an arm out to intercept in time, and all I managed to do was bruise her forearm. "Listen to me-"

Another side kick came flying my way. I raised both arms and managed to stop the kick short, grabbing a hold of her leg in the process. With a twist, I brought her to the ground, but she in turn spun around and grabbed me by the collar and the two of us were reduced to tumbling on the ground about as we struggled to gain the upper hand in this close quarter wrestling match. Then with a strong jump, Sparkle launched herself – and me in tow – into a nearby souvenir store, crashing through the glass panes of the front entrance in the process.

I quickly picked myself up and scanned the interior of the store. Shelves of merchandise stood all around me, but Sparkle was currently nowhere in sight. The crunching sound of glass on the ground quickly alerted me to nearby movement. Two shelves away, our eyes met through the gaps in between the merchandise laid out on the shelves. I quickly shuffled towards the exit and she followed suite. The moment we were clear of shelves, Sparkle immediately lunged at my throat. I intercepted her outstretched hands quickly enough to prevent an inevitable strangulation, then the both of us hurtled out through the main entrance, tumbling back onto the concrete pavement as I did my best to stop her from reaching my throat.

"Sparkle, stop! This isn't you!" I gasped as she put all of her weight to overwhelm any remaining resistance that I could put up. Her sweaty and clammy hands soon found their way around my throat.

"This is me all right," she said as her hands started closing tightly, "ending you."

I forced myself to speak despite the pressure of her hands around my throat. "I- I made a promise… to you… and your s- sister, and this is me" – I managed to plant my foot on her torso – "keeping that promise!"

Sparkle realised what I was trying to do and quickly let go of my throat, leaping back but my foot was already primed to explode in her midriff. "Precure kicking kick!"

The blast threw Sparkle into the air. I jumped to my feet and threw a red globe of energy at her next. "Precure… some red ball thing beam!" I really should dedicate some of my time towards thinking of better attack names.

The impact from the ball of energy sent Sparkle into an uncontrolled spin and she eventually landed in an open field, stirring up blades of grass and soil as she made a small crater where she landed. Up in the sky, Crimson and Twilight were still at each other's throats, but the moment Twilight had realised that her sister was down for the count, she disengaged and dive-bombed towards Sparkle's location.

Crimson and I rushed to the scene and found Twilight cradling her sister in her arms. Sparkle was clutching at her torso, clearly in pain; my point blank finisher must have did a nasty number on her. I just hoped that I did not overdo it. "Stay back!" Twilight warned as tears began streaming from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said as I slowly edged my way towards them.

"It's… it's not… over… yet…" Sparkle tried to struggle to her feet, but it was with her sister's help that she finally managed to stand, her arm still wrapped around her sibling for support.

"Look, let's not do this anymore. I'm not your enemy and I don't want to fight you."

"Says the person who kicked the crap out of me," Sparkle replied.

"Listen, I made a promise to the both of you that I would save you in this timeline. Try to think back and remember that this isn't the first time we've met or fought." I turned my attention towards Twilight. "You've relied on your instincts on the past, and they have always been right. Tell me, what do your instincts tell you now?"

"I… I-"

"You don't-"

"Yes I do," I interrupted Sparkle. "You were going to tell her that she doesn't have to tell me anything because I'm the enemy, isn't that right? How did I know what you were going to say? Think about it."

"That doesn't prove anything." Her voice was still full of bravado and I could still feel her burning gaze upon me.

"Let's stop this," Twilight said. Finally, some sense from all this madness!

"Listen to your sister, Cure Sparkle." I cautiously walked towards the both of them with my hands in the air. "I know what happened to the two of you. You told me your story, Cure Twilight. You said that your world was destroyed, that Despair saved you from its destruction and gave you a new world to live your lives in, and she promised that you would be together with the ones that you loved."

The both of them silently nodded.

"But see, here's the thing. You already are with the ones that you loved. You already have each other! It was never about Megumi or Blue; the people you had your crush on in your world are different individuals in this one. Here, they already have someone else in their hearts. However, the both of you are family. And despite all the misfortune and all the despair that you've been through, you've managed to stay together till the very end. Isn't that enough?"

Sparkle hung her head down and Twilight turned to comfort her.

"It's still no use." Twilight shook her head. "If we do not follow Despair, then when she ends this world and we will not be brought forward into the next one. That, she made perfectly clear the moment we awoke in this world. We have no other choice but to fight."

"No, you're wrong," I countered. "Everything ends if Despair and her master, Monolith, aren't stopped in this timeline. There won't be a next time for any of us if we fail now. Despair has lied to you."

We all shared a moment of silence as I patiently waited for a response from the sisters. The both of them had been through a lot together, but despite all that they still had each other, and I was counting on their strong familial bond to see us through this. I've played all my cards, now it was time for them to either accept it or face a darker fate if they decided to head down the wrong path. Then without warning, Cure Peach crash landed in front of us, sending a spray of soil and grass into our faces.

"Sorry for interrupting your little comfort talk," she said as she quickly spun around and got back up on her feet. "A little help would be appreciated." With a short running start, she launched herself up into the air to rejoin her team mates in the battle with Cure Despair several blocks away from us.

"Go," Twilight said. "We won't fight you anymore."

I threw one last parting glance at the sisters before leaping up and taking to the sky, letting my wings carry me forward to the sounds of battle up ahead. Cure Crimson flew by my side. "Good work back there."

* * *

The fight had moved several blocks away from where it originally started, leaving a vast trail of destruction in its wake. Still, the Fresh team did their best to minimise the amount of damage done to their hometown by trying to keep the fight away from the populated areas, so most of the wanton destruction occurred on open roads as well as parks. The battle now raged around what looked like a circular stage with steps leading down to the centre of the platform.

Peach and Passion attempted to rush Despair from one side while Berry and Pine outflanked her from the other. Crimson and I decided to time our attacks to coincide with the Fresh team, dive-bombing onto the dark Cure while she was already fighting on two fronts. But instead of meeting the Fresh team's attacks head-on, she took to the sky and before we could alter our trajectories, two quickly timed snap kicks sent me and Crimson hurtling downward.

Peach and Passion caught a hold of me before I hit the ground. "Thanks," I said as they helped me to my feet. Over on the other end of the stage, Crimson's fall was stopped by Berry and Pine also. Then we looked up and saw Despair racing down towards us fist-first. We quickly leapt aside while the resulting impact splintered the concrete stage. Pieces of masonry flew past and the ground shuddered beneath us.

"Give it up, Despair. You're being outclassed by a more experienced team of warriors." That was, of course, just random bravado out of nowhere, but I thought it might get Despair in a talkative mood, perhaps even throw her off guard a little. Considering the stakes involved, every single bit of advantage mattered.

Unfortunately, the taunt had just made me her target instead. I crossed my arms to receive her charge and follow-up punch, and began to realise just how powerful this enemy was. It was as if I was hit by a train; even though my arms protected me from the full brunt of her attack, the sheer force of the strike still sent me sliding back. A very long trail on the ground, traced by my feet, attested to that strength.

We regrouped at my position with Peach and Passion on my left, and Crimson, Berry and Pine to my right. Everyone took advantage of this temporary lull in the activity to catch our breaths. The fight has so far caused tremendous destruction around us and worse, it wasn't the kind of damage that could magically restore itself at the end of the fight. We all knew that we had to end this quickly, but were running out of options.

Dark purple flames engulfed Cure Despair and her eyes glowed red. Great bat-like wings as black as the night formed on her back and we could feel the sheer malice emanating all the way from here.

"Uh, maybe we should go all out now before she finishes powering up," I said.

"Alright, then let's do this!" Peach dropped down to a four-point stance, followed by Berry, Pine and Passion. They simultaneously pushed off and dashed towards Despair, who was now encased in a flaming column of black fire.

"Crimson, are you ready?"

She nodded, and so the both of us began activating the _LovePreBrace_ on our forearms. The tingling sensation enveloped my arm, excitedly awaiting release upon my command. With a pushing motion, I let my purifying attack fly from my open palms. "Precure I still dunno whats-its-name beam!"

Beside me, Crimson screamed "Crimson fire arc!" and a great bolt of fire flew alongside my red energy globe, racing past the Fresh team and speeding towards Cure Despair.

Our magical projectiles smashed against Despair's dark column of flame just as a four-leafed clover – coloured pink, blue, yellow and crimson – manifested over the dark Cure. It descended over her, encasing Despair in a great crystalline cage. The four members of the Fresh team encircled their opponent and chanted in unison, "Lucky Clover Grand Finale!"

The crystalline prison suddenly shattered into a million pieces, throwing all four members of the Fresh team back. I had to shield myself from the splintering shards when the powerful blast reached us. It felt like we were being hit by a hurricane of fire and sharp hail. Nearby foliage disintegrated into ash while stone and concrete became brittle and crumbled to dust. When the onslaught had finally subsided, Cure Despair stood up from the centre of the blast, seemingly unscathed while the rest of us were either on our knees or flat on our backs. If there was any consolation to gain from it all, at least we had stopped Despair's power-up cold.

I rushed to Cure Peach and helped her to her feet. To my right, Crimson was helping Berry up. Pine and Passion were thrown further back, beyond our immediate reach, and so they had to pick themselves up on their own.

"Precures," Despair muttered under her breath. "You will be crushed for this insolence." Tiny sparks, like particles of black flame, began dancing around her open and outstretched palm. More and more such particles gathered around, as if attracted like bits of metal to a magnet, forming a globe as black as the night sky. Despair looked to our direction, her eyes showing nothing but pure malice. A faint smirk formed on her lips as she threw the dark ball of energy at me and Peach. The both of us bulked up our shoulders to receive her fury.

Despair's ball of destruction spun in the air as it rolled towards us, then crashed into a shield of red and blue. "Sorry we're late," Cure Lovely announced, holding up the shield of light against Despair's strike.

"That Saiark was quite the nut to crack!" Princess said as she kept her own shield up.

Honey giggled as she landed in front of us. "All this talk of nuts has made me hungry."

"Since we're here, we should be having doughnuts instead," Fortune suggested, dropping to the ground with a three-point landing.

"Yeah! Let's go have some of Kaoru's doughnuts once we're done saving the world!" Peach declared.

"Precures," Despair growled, her glowing red eyes seething with hatred as they scanned over each and every one of us. "You even bother to think of such useless trivialities in the face of death."

"That's because we are all Pretty Cure!" Passion retorted.

Berry ran up to us and assumed her fighting stance beside Peach. "We all have friends who will cheer us on!"

"And that gives us power!" Pine launched herself into the air, gracefully landing by Berry's side.

"That's why even in the face of danger, against all odds, we know that we will win!" Crimson punched the air with great gusto.

We all stood at the ready, as if waiting for something to happen. There was a bit of an awkward silence. Crimson slid up to my side. "Psst, it's your turn to say something."

"Oh, right… so… time to kick ass and chew… ah… umm… doughnuts!"

Cue facepalms and outright sighs. In my defence, I was put on the spot there, and everything was simply spontaneous, that's all!

Despair wasn't the least bit amused, however. "Enough!"

The dark Cure was already in our midst before we heard the sonic boom that was left in her wake. Peach and Passion closed in on her before the rest of us could react and managed to halt her advance before she could deal some real damage. Everyone else began to move; the close combat-oriented ones like Fortune joined Peach and Passion up front while skirmishers like Princess took to the skies or stayed by the sidelines, waiting for opportunities to launch a counter-attack from a distance. I decided that I too would stay by the sidelines, content on being more of a blaster than a scrapper or tank.

Despair bounced from Precure to Precure faster than the eye could follow; her tactic of being constantly on the move proved troublesome to the rest of us as she presented no good opportunities for us to fire off snap shot or two. It also made it hard for the front-liners to move in and dog-pile the dark Cure in close combat. We couldn't even risk an area attack, which could accidentally catch any one of us in the blast zone. Despite these setbacks, however, one thing became very clear: by constantly switching from one target to another, she wasn't doing enough damage to us individually. Perhaps we could win this fight by attrition then?

Soon it was my turn, as Despair zoomed in on my position with the precision of a homing bullet. I nearly failed to bring my defences up to bear in time and had to be content with just blocking and parrying the incoming flurry of blows without being given a single opportunity to strike back. When that opportunity had finally come, however, the dark Cure already back-flipped away. The thought to blast her with a projectile crossed my mind but she suddenly veered sideways, as if anticipating my very thoughts, and went after one of the yellow Cures instead.

Just then I realised that Cure Princess was beside me. "I can't hit her if she keeps moving!" So that's why Despair disengaged.

"Hopefully we're tiring her out." For a brief moment, I spotted a straight, unblocked line of sight towards Despair's back as she was wailing on Pine's defences. I let my legs do the work and prepared to punch or grab – whichever felt the most appropriate – as soon as I got into range. Before I could reach her, however, she launched herself straight up into the air; unfortunately for me, that put me on a direct collision course with Cure Pine. The both of us tumbled to the ground for what felt like a long, dragged out moment before we could recover and scramble back to our feet. Everyone was together now, some of us even slack-jawed when we realised just how close everyone was to each other. The realisation set in quickly: Despair wasn't randomly bouncing around among us; she was herding us all into one place.

We looked upward for Despair and saw a tall, black column of power descend upon us.

It is not often that one gets to experience being hit by an energy beam in real life. The closest analogy to this is probably having a pile of bricks dropped onto you. Except that those bricks have just come out fresh from an oven. And laced with oil. Okay, perhaps the oil was an exaggeration. Having said that, it wasn't something that I would like to have the pleasure of experiencing a second time. It's not just about pain, but also about the lingering effects afterwards. Like the sudden migraine, the clouded vision as well as that numb feeling all around that makes your limbs want to disobey your every command. As soon as the migraines and the unfocused vision had subsided, I could see the rest of the team sprawled on the darkened ground, its soil and grass all burnt to a crisp. Lovely, Princess, Honey, Fortune, Peach, Berry, Pine and Passion were all down at various positions around me.

Despair descended but remained hovering in the air several metres ahead of us, like some kind of Super Saiyan looking down on their defeated foes. Except this one had a most darkly aura that reeked of pure hate and malice, of course. "There is no use to struggle. Your death shall come swiftly now."

"No." Cure Peach was the first to make it up all fours. "We'll never give up."

"No matter how strong you are, we will eventually defeat you," Lovely said, pushing herself up on her knees.

"The statistical odds of that are precisely zero," Despair said.

"Statistics? What utter nonsense. You think you can just calculate the results of this fight with your damned statistics?" Despite the vehement protest from my own body, I strained myself to stand up. "All your calculations and all your plans will not hold up in a fight against the Precures. You may be able to anticipate the moves of each and every one of us individually, but the moment we start working together, we become something that is so much more than your statistics can possibly comprehend. We can achieve the impossible by putting our hearts and minds to it. Your overconfidence, Despair, may well be your downfall."

"On the contrary, your faith in your precious so-called friends shall lead to your downfall," Despair retorted in her cold, indifferent expression.

"All that bluster didn't help you much when we kicked your ass back in Pikarigaoka now, did it?"

Despair hissed. I smiled.

"She- err… he's right," Lovely said and ran to my side. "Evil will never win as long as there is even a single Precure left standing."

"And since we are all now standing" – Peach took a long look around her, and everyone stood, smiled and nodded when they fell under her gaze – "it seems that your plans have failed."

"Fools! I am undefeatable." Despair raised both hands above her head. A ball of dark power coalesced between her open palms, hovering inches above her head. The ball of darkness seemed to grow as it collected more and more power from its surroundings, like an insatiable entity that devoured the very air around it.

The Fresh team brought their hands to their chest, forming various symbols with their fingers except for Cure Passion, who held out a small red and white harp: the _Passion Harp_. Lovely and Princess grabbed each other's hands and held on tightly. Fortune brought her _Fortune Tambourine_ to bear. Honey gripped her baton like a sword and positioned herself behind her three teammates. Unless I was absolutely mistaken, this had all the hallmarks of a beam-o-war taking shape. "Uh guys, what's the plan again?"

"The plan is to die!" Cure Despair brought her hands down to her side and the dark globe followed suite, as if tethered to her cupped palms. Then she thrust both hands forward and the ball of darkness exploded into a massive stream of cascading energy.

Everyone responded with attacks of their own. A myriad of colourful blasts emerged from each and every Pretty Cure, flowing like a rainbow stream of light to meet the dark Cure's destructive powers head-on. When both attacks collided, an explosion of light filled the sky as the reaction of both energy beams attempted to cancel out and push against each other. The great ball of light, shining as brightly as the sun, grew in size, dwarfing the rest of the sky in the process. Then I realised that it wasn't the light that was expanding; it was the intersection point that was getting closer and closer to us – Despair's attack was slowly but most certainly pushing everyone's attack back at them.

"This had better work." I rubbed the palms of my hands together. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that I had to contribute somehow. The only problem was that I've never done any sort of beam attack before. I twirled the little wheel on the _LovePreBrace_ and thought to myself, "Think happy thoughts. Think beams. Think big, badass beams."

That familiar tingling sensation coursed from my left hand, through my body and into my right hand. I pushed both hands forward, palms facing outward. A sparkling wave of scarlet and crimson, like a water cannon, burst out from my outstretched hands to link up with the others. "Precure badass beam!"

Firing off a beam attack was one thing; maintaining it was another problem altogether. As children, we may have imagined ourselves with telekinetic powers of some sorts during playtime and tried to will objects to move. Except of course, in the real world, the object would never move. But we tried harder anyway, like a mental exercise which can be metaphorically summarised as taking a mental dump. Now amplify that tenfold and it would come close to what we were all probably experiencing as we tried our best to push that ever-growing ball of light – the intersection point – away and towards Cure Despair. In addition to the mental strain, the whole ordeal was also physically taxing. I suppose that made sense as we were draining our very own power reserves, converting our raw emotions of love, hope, happiness, courage and pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows into a single, concentrated wave of purifying energy.

"You all are no match for my power," we heard Despair say, and then we felt the full weight of her assault battering down on ours even more. That aside, how the hell was she still able to talk while beam-spamming?

A deep, resonating boom detonated somewhere far to our left. Something flew at supersonic speeds, collided with Cure Despair, and then went right past her. We felt a great release as the force that pushed against us suddenly ceased to exist. We did not hit the dark Cure though, as our combined beam shot past the tumbling form of Despair. She spun in the air like a rag doll, and then gravity took over and deposited her on the ground with a dull thud.

Everyone rushed over to site where Despair fell. She was on all fours, but quickly brought herself up to her feet the moment she detected our approach. A swollen red mark was painted prominent on her right cheek, forcing her right eye into a squint.

"That hurt so much!" Cure Crimson dropped down from above, her left hand gripping the other hand tightly. Red marks adorned the knuckles of her right hand.

"First time you ever socked someone in the face?" I said.

"Precure…" Despair growled at us with a most hateful expression painted on her face. Finally, some emotion.

I did not wait for her to say any more. The _LovePreBrace_ was activated again. I had no intention to let her run off and disappear again like before, so I threw my red ball at her.

Despair lifted her hand and stopped my projectile cold, but I could still feel it in my mind, trying to force its way past her defences. I poured all my thoughts into the magical bullet, as if cheering it on and willing it to push forward even more. Even if I could not penetrate her defences, at least it would keep her occupied while the other Precures took her down.

A purple star from my left sped towards Despair, followed by a pink heart and a blue ring. A green clover came from the sky. Three beams of pink, blue and yellow shot from my right. The beautiful sound of a harp was heard, then a storm of hearts and feathers engulfed the dark Cure. The resulting explosion was glorious.

When all the smoke and dust had settled, a silhouette of the dark Cure could be seen, still standing. I prepared to race forward, perhaps to end this with one final kick, when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder.

"Wait," Honey said. She pointed her baton at Despair. "Look."

Despair dropped to her knees. She seemed to be evaporating as tiny black particles floated up and left her. She glared at us as she spoke. "This… this does not change… anything. Monolith… -sama… will… rise…"

And like a bad dream that was finally over, the dark Cure faded from this world.

* * *

"Hey guys, I don't mean to be a spoilsport, but is it really the time to be eating?"

We were seated around two separate tables at a doughnut stall. At my table was Love, Marie and Miss Sugimoto, along with the fairies Ribbon, Glasan, Tarte and Chiffon. The stall's operator, Kaoru, stood at our table with a large plate of doughnuts in his hand. At the other table, everyone else somehow managed to cram themselves around it, their attention completely on Marisu. It was a miracle that they didn't manage to flip the table or break anything.

"Don't worry about it, Ken." Love shot a glance at her friends and giggled at the ridiculous spectacle that played out on the overcrowded table. "You mustn't overexert yourself all the time, especially right after a big fight. We should all take some time to rest and let our bodies recover first."

"She's right, you know." Kaoru had barely set the doughnuts on the table and it was already under full assault from Love and the fairies. "If you push yourself too much, your body will fail at the worst possible time."

"Yeah, I know," I said as I helped myself with a doughnut. I couldn't help but notice the awkward silence from Marie and Miss Sugimoto though.

"Don't worry about these two," Love said, as if reading my mind. "We'll help reintegrate them into our society, find them a place to stay and call home. If not here, then perhaps in Pikarigaoka, depending on their own wishes."

"Love is right." I looked at those two and waited to get their attention. "Now that Despair has been defeated, you no longer have any reason to fight and can live normal lives in this new world."

"You may be right, but if you end up dying and this timeline gets reset, I fear that we will disappear for real and not get carried over into the next world," Marie said.

I reached out, grabbed her hand and stared her in the eye. "In the previous timeline, I made you both a promise and I intend to keep it. So do not worry, I don't have any intention of getting myself killed anytime soon."

"Th- thank you, Ken." That was the first time that I've heard Marie thanking me. It gave me strength, for we still had Monolith to deal with and whatever happened, I still had a promise to keep. Whoever this Monolith was, and whatever it was capable of, I hoped that we would have the power to deal with it and put an end to this once and for all. Despite all the dark portents, a part of me still had hope for it is very much a Pretty Cure thing to keep the faith and never lose hope against all odds. It wasn't – and shouldn't – be about whether we succeed or fail, but when we will eventually succeed.

Once everyone has had their fill, we were approached by Setsuna and the others. "It's time," she said.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: I realize that I have just given Despair the Joker treatment. For readers who are unfamiliar with Smile! Pretty Cure, Joker was an antagonist who wasn't given any backstory even after his defeat. Not going to say more, since that may fall into spoiler territory if you haven't watched the series.

The scene in the souvenir store somewhat mimics the fight between The Eagle and his opponent in the opening fight from the _Gatchaman_ live action movie.

The roles of blaster, tank and scrapper come from the now-defunct MMORPG, _City of Heroes_.

Super Saiyan, in this case, is a _Dragon Ball_ reference.

The brief exchange between Ken and Despair mirrors the exchange between Luke Skywalker and the Emperor in _Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi_: "Your overconfidence is your weakness." "Your faith in your friends is yours."

_Pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows_ is an Internet meme. If you value your time and sanity, do not look it up. Especially not the 10-hour version. Nope, you have been warned.

Table flipping is, again, another Internet meme and also often used as an emoticon.


	18. Intermission of Exposition

**Chapter 18: Intermission of Exposition**

Labyrinth: a capital city of technology that existed in another world – a parallel world by this world's terminology – was once the headquarters of a powerful entity whose ambition was to subjugate and completely control all parallel worlds. This was our destination, where we hoped to learn more about the mysterious Monolith and for a way to stop it.

The ten of us – Megumi, Hime, Yuuko, Iona, Love, Miki, Inori, Setsuna, Marisu and I – stood on a plateau that overlooked the city from a distance. The fairies had decided not to join us here; they were given other important tasks, one of them being to help the two fallen Cures Marie and Miss Sugimoto integrate themselves back into society. A steep but well-trodden path took us down the plateau and onto a road that lead straight towards the capital.

The city itself was an idiosyncratic meld of two cultures. The base culture had a cold and sterile, almost methodical layout that felt more like a large industrial complex than a city where people grew up and lived their lives in. City structures were both plain and functional, while the streets had a very logical and efficient layout to them. On top of this layer, however, was a very obvious hint of new culture spawned by the influx of Japanese elements, no doubt imported by Setsuna and her friends. At the heart of the city stood a large tower – a monumental structure that attested to this world's history and hardship while under the enslavement of Moebius. After his defeat, the Fresh Pretty Cure team liberated the people from his control. The tower itself was now a mere shadow of its former self, broken and almost derelict in nature. It was also our destination.

As we made our way through the bustling streets, we saw many elements of a typical small Japanese town sprouting over the industrial structures that permeated the city. Small and boxy office-like buildings were converted into stores and restaurants, while larger warehouses became amphitheatres, schools, shopping complexes and the like. We even spotted a few roadside stalls where peddlers advertised various delicacies from doughnuts to takoyaki to ramen. Many of the citizens smiled and waved as we walked past, seemingly recognising Setsuna and her friends from the looks that they had on them. Despite the cold and sterile environment that these people grew up in, they had certainly managed to turn the place into a lively township that was a stark contrast from its original form.

We soon arrived at our destination. The base of Moebius' tower was under heavy reconstruction, no doubt from the damage that the structure sustained during the battle between the Fresh team and Moebius. Metal scaffoldings formed an outer layer that stretched around and across the entire structure while the constant hammering and buzzing of heavy machinery permeated the environment. Besides the bustling activity surrounding the building, we also noticed multiple pairs of armed security personnel making regular rounds at the premises. Although the presence of such heavily armed guards made some of us uneasy, but the moment they took notice of Setsuna they did not give us a second look so we made it to the main entrance of the building without a single incident.

The guards stationed at the large, double doors gave us a nod as the doors parted. There we were greeted by two gentlemen in white lab coats. Security passes hung on a lanyard around their necks.

"Good to see you again, Setsuna," the blond greeted with a bow. He had an aura of confidence about him; it was rather easy to notice his brutish nature by the way he stood and also by the bulk of muscles that bulged from underneath his coat. "And you too, Momozono-san, Aono-san and Yamabuki-san."

"Likewise," the other said. Unlike his companion, this man was what some people would call a pretty boy, flashing long and well-maintained black hair.

"And the rest of you must be the Happiness Charge Precure," the blond continued. "I am Nishi Hayato, and this is my associate Minami Shun. Though" – his gaze met with mine – "we were informed to expect only a team of Precures."

"Yeah, Ken is-"

I quickly, but gently, nudged Megumi in her side. "Yeah, I'm somewhat part of the team too. You know how that sort of thing is."

Hayato gave me a confused look. "I'm not sure if I understand, but welcome anyway to Labyrinth, Ken." Then, as if responding to a silent nudge from his colleague, he continued. "Ah, where are our manners? These are your visitor passes. Please wear them at all times within the premises." He began handing out small plastic cards on lanyards to us. Once everyone had their passes on, Hayato and Shun led us into the tower.

Despite how it looked like from the outside, the interior of the tower was vast. I could have sworn that it was a lot bigger on the inside, but this could also be attributed to the tight – almost claustrophobic – corridors that snaked around the complex like a maze. The environment reeked of metal and oil, broken up by the occasional room that was lined with potted plants and a small water basin or fountain. We learnt that these were being treated as recreation rooms where construction and restoration workers would often gather for short breaks, either to get away from the industrial nature of their environment or to have their meals and tea breaks.

We soon arrived at a pair of small double doors. Hayato flashed his security tag at the card reader by the side of the doors. They slid open to reveal the interior of a relatively spacious elevator. The furthermost wall of its interior was a curved glass pane, but presently there was nothing to see except for the steel wall of the elevator shaft. Once everyone was comfortably inside, our guide traced his fingers across the array of buttons that marked the various floors of the installation. We instantly noticed that this elevator was one that only went down. In any case, Hayato hit the 42nd floor – the lowest level underground – and with a slight jerk of the elevator, we were sent on our merry way down into the unknown depths of this place.

Soon the elevator shaft opened up to reveal a vast underground cavity. We all stared through the glass pane, observing what amounted to a small underground town complete with its own road and transport system. A large, dome-like structure stood prominently in the middle of this little township, like a central hub where every other structure was built around. A systematic grid of static lights as well as moving headlights became an indicator of the level of activity here.

"Hayato, Shun, what is this?" Setsuna asked.

"This" – Shun gestured towards the underground city that had our attention – "is Moebius' greatest secret. After his defeat, we took over what remained of the tower with the intent to restore the installation as well as salvage any useful research and technology that we found. Instead, we found this place. Here, Moebius conducted research and experiments into technologies that went further beyond parallel worlds. He… _it_… discovered the concept of alternate universes and timelines, something that has long been theorised but never actually proven, at least until we discovered Moebius' secret research here."

"I can't believe that Moebius managed to hide all of this from us," Setsuna said.

Hayato nodded. "It caught us by surprise too. But in retrospect, this was the perfect place to hide his secret. The space underneath the tower was originally excavated to house the tower's rising mechanism and the invasion apparatus. So when Moebius sent more people down here to excavate and build, no one suspected that some of the workforce was being siphoned off to build the underground facility we see here."

"There's more," Shun said, "but let's make our way to the main research centre over there" – he pointed towards the central dome-shaped structure – "before we explain any further."

The elevator continued its descent, jerking to a halt when it had arrived at its destination. From here onward, we were taxied towards the main research centre via small electric-powered cars driven by the workers here. We drove past several nondescript boxy structures, their monotony broken up only by the occasional street lamp or group of workers gathering around some machinery or other. The place was in a state of perpetual night; looking up, we saw only darkness that surrounding the central tower shaft that penetrated past the artificial hemisphere.

Our drivers deposited us at the foyer of the main research centre. Once everyone had gathered around, our guides Hayato and Shun ushered us in. Again we noticed an increased amount of security presence around the premises, though as soon as they took one look at the composition of our group, they did not bother to give us a second look.

As it turns out, the interior of the dome housed a massively sprawling array of supercomputers, stacked onto racks and arranged in many rows like the aisles of a supermarket. The white mist-like refrigerant could sometimes be seen billowing out from the grated flooring beneath the server racks. High above was a raised platform where many people in white robes teemed about. That platform was our destination as our guides led everyone towards a set of escalators going up.

"Welcome to The Underdome," Hayato said with a smug expression on his face while he extended his hands in a welcoming fashion.

"I take it that it was you who christened the place with the name?" Setsuna said.

Shun chuckled. "Obviously." I too shared his amusement.

"What's so funny about Underdome?"

"So it's underground, and it's a dome? Why not something like Thunderdome instead?" I might have smirked while saying that.

"But there's no thunder involved?"

"Never mind." In retrospect, these people would be the wrong crowd for a pop culture crack anyway.

* * *

"So what exactly are we looking at here?" Setsuna, along with the rest of us, was staring at a bunch of screens at the control centre in the dome. Some showed moving lines or graphs, like an oscilloscope, seismograph or spectrum analyser even. Others had tables of numbers of varying denominations that changed every so often, like staring at the live updates at the stock exchange.

Shun smile and brushed a strand of hair from his face. "Thanks to the tech that we have salvaged from Moebius' secret research, we have established this control centre to measure and monitor the parallel universes known to us. We measure their endothermic and exothermic levels, temporal energy fluxes, system mass, dark matter and so on." He paused to observe the blank expressions on our faces, dropping into a sigh before continuing. "In other words, we can monitor whatever happens on a parallel world on a very macroscopic level. Recently, however, we've been recording strange spikes and dips in energy levels that did not correspond to any phenomenon that is known to us. Additionally, these occurrences seemed to be happening on different parallel worlds, possibly affecting all of them, at random intervals. More alarmingly, some of these events have been happening on your world."

Setsuna shot a glance at the rest of us. Seeing that most of us still had that blank stare on our faces, she said to Shun, "I wasn't aware of this. In our last communication you simply mentioned an anomaly in some of your concurrent research. If I had known about this in further detail, I would have returned immediately."

"We didn't want to alarm you, Setsuna. Besides, you were still enjoying your vacation in Clover Town and we didn't want to bother you until we have collected more conclusive data."

"Alright, point taken. What else?"

"As we monitored and analysed the data even further, our researchers managed to pinpoint the source of some of these energy spikes." Shun walked over to another set of displays and showed what I could only guess to be some kind of fractal tree simulation. "Look at this."

"And this is…?" Setsuna said.

"Right. Some of you may find what I am about to say rather confusing, as this concept is totally new even for us and we've only begun to realise means to measure and understand it. I'll also assume that none of you are familiar with the idea of alternate realities or timelines." Shun paused, interrupted by an unexpected cough from me.

"Sorry, choked on some saliva," I said sheepishly. Marisu raised an eyebrow at me.

Shun continued. "Imagine if right now, I were to raise a gun at Hayato."

"Oh great, it's the 'let's kill Hayato' analogy again," Hayato grumbled.

With a smirk, Shun continued. "At this point, there are two likely outcomes in our story. I could shoot Hayato and kill him, or I could not shoot him and he doesn't die. If time were like a road or the tracks of a train, then this kind of decision represents a crossroad in time. You could choose to turn left or right, but either way both paths are real and exist simultaneously. The timeline here splits into two alternate universes – one where Hayato is dead, and another where Hayato is still alive. Now further down both paths, more and more sets of crossroads may exist which represent significant or major turning points in the timeline, thus creating more and more alternate universes."

Setsuna leaned forward to examine the fractal tree-like simulation closer. "So how does this factor in to the energy spikes and dips from the parallel worlds?"

"Each parallel world has its own set of alternate timelines, spawned and branching since the very beginning of the universe. These branches will often split and merge, but more often than not they will continue splitting and spreading into an infinite number of alternate realities. But thanks to our research, we've been able to analyse them in greater detail. What's alarming is that we have discovered some branches that have stopped progressing. These events seemed to occur at random and whenever a branch is 'cut', metaphorically speaking, it and every potential branch that it could have spawned disappears in a massive spike of energy."

I gulped. That all sounded very familiar indeed. "So does that mean that an entire universe was destroyed?"

Shun narrowed his eyes at me. "Simply put, yes, though the process is actually a little more complicated than that and I'm just keeping things simple for you all. However, that isn't the only problem. After the cut, that 'stump' remains dead and ceases to 'grow'. Then at some random interval later, another nearby branch is destroyed just like its previous one. By our measure, the 'cut' always occurs at roughly the same time frame, simplistically speaking. It's as if someone is draining the energy of the universe by trimming possible timelines that will now cease to exist forever."

"Have you been able to trace where this release of energy goes?" I asked.

Shun shook his head. "Based on our limited knowledge and technology in this field, we haven't been able to ascertain that."

"Wouldn't you be able to measure which parallel world, or which alternate timeline, gains a spike of power as a result in the other one's demise?" Setsuna asked.

"That was our initial theory, but so far we haven't been able to measure any such increase elsewhere." Shun heaved a sigh. "This is extremely distressing because such a large quantity of energy should be traceable wherever it went. This completely breaks the theory of conservation of energy, as if the released energy simply went _nowhere_ and was lost."

"Perhaps you're simply not looking in the right place," I suggested.

Shun raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

"Suppose the energy isn't going to another world or timeline. Suppose another being exists somewhere, perhaps even outside the timelines itself – beyond what we call 'reality' – building up a reserve of power from these so-called energy spikes, for reasons that may or may not be known to us?"

"That's… quite a highly specific scenario you're suggesting… Ken, was it?" I could feel Shun's inquisitive stare on me.

"Okay, this really sounds crazy but Megumi, Hime, Yuuko and Iona have already heard it before so bear with me. Marisu and I have been in these destroyed timelines. We were there and bore witness to their destruction. The whole world – which I now understand to actually mean an entire universe – turned to dust and was absorbed by an every-growing black hole. And then somehow or other, we found ourselves looped back in time, at a predetermined point, to repeat the whole process all over again. Only if your theories are true, then we didn't actually loop back in time. Instead, we were transported into another universe that is very similar to the one that was destroyed."

Hayato reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a small handheld device. He waved the device in me and Marisu's direction, then took one glance at its little display and leaned over to Shun. "Shun, look at this."

Shun sauntered over to glance at the results. "This is quite interesting. Not only are their levels of Artron spiking, but they're also resonating at varying frequencies, most of which seem to be foreign to our world."

"But how can this be possible?"

"I have a theory, but even then I still think it is an impossible probability. Imagine if you take a singularity point and kill it out-of-place, causing a massive paradox to occur. The timeline wouldn't be able to continue, or even restore itself, in such a way that it might as well be completely annihilated."

"A single-what?"

"A singularity point. A person who is unaffected by the flow and ebb of time."

"Like Den-O?" I interrupted.

Hayato cocked his head. "What's a 'denno'?"

"Never mind, it was just a joke."

Shun shook his head, then continued. "In any case, the situation is still highly unlikely. The out-of-place singularity point is more likely to die than cause a paradox. A singularity point may have the power to restore a lost timeline by harnessing the memories of the world and its own memories together, but when separated far enough from its home reality, it shouldn't have a strong enough connection to trigger such a reaction."

"What if there were two of them?"

"Two? How is that even possible? The likelihood of that is like winning a lottery thrice in a row." Shun gave me a questioning look.

"He does have a point," Hayato said.

"Hmm…" Shun was deep in thought. "Two singularity points, belonging to two differing realities. Their existence together would already be an anomaly on its own. Now if the both of them had entrenched themselves in the foreign reality, exerting their temporal influences on that parallel world's timelines…" Shun continued to mumble to himself about theories and technobabble that I was sure no one else understood. Perhaps not even Hayato, but we could only wait for him to finish his analysis and await his conclusion on the matter. Finally, he turned to me and said, "Suppose everything you said and allude to is true. This still does not explain how different alternate timelines continue to be affected after the first one is destroyed."

"If this being were able to pluck individuals out from their home realities, then it is most likely able to move them from universe to universe as well."

"I have to say, it is a very far-fetched theory," Shun said. "Besides, this being you mention must be really powerful in order to pull off even half the stunts that we have seen."

"By absorbing the energy from the destroyed timelines?"

"It's a supposition that fits everything you have measured and theorised so far, no?" Setsuna said.

"Hmm…" Hayato had his hands up over his mouth while he was thinking. "I can't say that I understand it all, but she does have a point."

Shun walked over towards me and Marisu. He bent over to look me in the eye, then over to Marisu. "So let me get this straight. You're saying that the both of you are singularity points?"

I nodded. "Assuming all your technical jargon is right, that is."

"And this 'denno' is…"

"Nothing! Really, it was just a dumb pop culture reference joke!" This was getting out of hand.

He narrowed his eyes further. "If you say so."

"In any case, the bigger issue here is what do we do about it? According to Cure Despair, this is the last loop. She said that all the parameters or whatever crap that Monolith needs has already been nearly fulfilled-"

"Wait, stop," Hayato interrupted. He narrowed his eyebrows and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly in the process.

"You've thought of something?" Shun asked.

"Monolith…" he muttered out loud. He then sauntered over to one of the nearby lab coat-garbed technicians. "Open up the database group C and search for Monolith."

"The group C projects?"

"What are the group C projects?" Setsuna asked.

While Hayato continued querying the technician, Shun crossed his arms and said, "When we first seized Moebius' research we categorised them into three groups. Group A was most relevant to our current goal of restoring Labyrinth and thus given the highest priority. Group B projects were not relevant to our present objectives and therefore shelved aside for the time being. Group C was the really obscure or secret stuff that our researchers couldn't figure out after an initial investigation period. We put those aside until we could allocate more resources into deciphering them."

"We've found it," Hayato declared, gesturing towards one of the large monitors overhead. The heading simply read "Monolith", followed by several paragraphs of incomprehensible gibberish. A prompt was overlaid atop the text, asking for a password to be entered.

"That's pretty ominous," I said.

"Can we decipher all this?" Shun asked.

"Unfortunately no," the technician at the computer console said. "We've tried to crack the pass code during the initial investigation period but found that it was protected by a highly advanced cryptographic algorithm that we've never seen before. Eventually we shelved all files related to Monolith into the group C database."

"What about reallocating all our resources into cracking this now?" Setsuna asked.

"I don't think there'll be time for that," I said. "If we were to hold anything that Despair said to be true then we can't afford the luxury of sitting on our asses while scientists cracked algorithms. If we can't learn more about Monolith from these files, perhaps we need to go there and see for ourselves."

"Go where?" Shun asked.

"Well, you have the technology to travel between parallel worlds, no?"

"Correct, but I'm not following."

"So what would it take to allow us to breach the gap between worlds and travel there instead? You know, like the empty spaces between two realities?"

Both Hayato and Shun's eyes widened. "That's insane," Shun said. Hayato nodded in agreement.

When I turned to Setsuna for a second opinion, she looked at her own _Linkrun_. "That level of teleportation is beyond my ability."

I returned my attention to Hayato and Shun. "By insane, do you mean impossible, or so crazy you don't think it is a good idea?" I gestured at Marisu. "We're both supposedly some kind of crazy concept that brings about the destruction of timelines. Is there anything crazier than this?"

Hayato simply shot a glance at Shun. "He has a point, you know."

"And that's the third time you've said that," Shun said as his palm went up to his face. "Look, Ken, travel to other parallel worlds is one thing. Stopping short in between them? It's like cutting the ropes to the bridge while you're halfway across. Although we may be able to theoretically reconfigure the transport mechanism to stop short before re-entry, the fact is that no one has ever tried anything like that before. We have no idea what you will be able to find there, or if it is even possible to survive in the cracks between realities. I'm sorry to say, but it's too risky, even for the likes of you."

"Actually, I think I have a good idea of what to expect, because I've been there. Or at least I think I have."

"What?" All eyes were now on me, but I've already grown accustomed to the attention whenever I drop some big and surprising piece of information on people.

"It's hard to explain, but during the transition from the previous timeline and into the next, I get these dreams where I am in the middle of nowhere. Everything around me is black, empty – devoid of anything. But I could feel a presence there with me. It exuded fear, despair, malice and all sorts of foreboding feelings. And even though the entire experience felt like a dream, a part of me is convinced that it was real. That none of it was a dream."

"I- I think I've had these so-called dreams to," Marisu said. "When Ken died, when the world turned to dust and ashes, I also felt these things. The darkness and the morbid feelings. And that presence – that frightening presence, like something breathing behind your neck, but when you turn around to look, there's nothing there. Before I would have thought that it was just a nightmare, but now that I've heard it from Ken, I too believe it to be real."

"This just gets crazier and crazier, doesn't it?" Shun still had his palm attached to his face.

"You know, they both have-"

"Yes, yes, they have a point there. I get it, Hayato-san." Shun shook his head. "But that does not change the fact that this is all crazy talk! I can't simply take the responsibility of teleporting nine Pretty Cure into the abyss without even knowing anything about it."

"Actually it's ten-"

I nudged Megumi again, this time a little bit harder than I had expected. "Sorry."

Shun looked up from his palm. "What was that?"

"Nothing," I quickly said. "In any case, the risks of not doing anything may well be worse. While I have absolutely no proof of this, but when Cure Despair said that we weren't needed anymore, and that Monolith shall soon reshape the world in his image, I'd think that we're looking at a ZK-class scenario here."

"A what class now?"

"Sorry, what I meant was, it might be the end of all reality as we know it."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the air. We were all taking turns staring at one other, waiting for someone else to speak up. Shun was shaking his head and mumbling to himself. When Setsuna threw a questioning glance at Hayato, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I trust Ken." All eyes immediately turned to the source of that quote. Iona continued, "Ken trusted us when we went off on our own to fight that Saiark. He said it was too powerful for us to handle ourselves. Yet thanks to his trust, and our promise to him, we prevailed. Now is the time for the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures to return that trust in kind, isn't that right Megumi?"

Megumi smiled and nodded. The rest of her team returned the gesture in kind.

"Precures learn to trust each other, and using that trust we can achieve the impossible no matter what odds are stacked against us. So if Megumi and her friends trust Ken, then I say that we should as well." Momozono Love turned around to face her friends, who all nodded in agreement.

"I suppose I'll have to go with the majority then," Marisu said.

Shun heaved yet another sigh. "You're all crazy, do you know that?"

"It's decided then," I declared. This will be our most excellent adventure yet… or not.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: The concept of a parallel world, or parallel universe, in science fiction broadly refers to a separate reality that coexists with one's own. By this definition, all the Pretty Cure worlds — Dusk Zone, Labyrinth, the Garden of Rainbows, Nightmare, Märchenland, and so on — are considered parallel worlds. On the other hand, alternate universes (or realities/timelines/etc) may often be synonymous with parallel worlds but more often than not, refer to a variant of a parallel world as described by Shun's analogy of roads or train tracks.

The concept of a singularity point, as used in this story, is loosely based on _Kamen Rider Den-O'_s rather than the traditional definition used in science fiction and quantum physics literature. However, this story takes that concept and spins a more complicated web of wibbly wobbly timey wimey… stuff around it, resulting in the phenomenon experienced by Ken and Marisu.

The tower being "bigger on the inside" is a _Doctor Who_ reference.

42, the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, is a reference to _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.

Thunderdome is a reference to the movie _Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome_.

Artron energy is another _Doctor Who_ reference, representing a kind of background radiation that is often found on time travelers.

A ZK-class scenario is an _SCP Foundation_ reference. It is a "reality failure" event, such as an end of all reality scenario.

Ken's "excellent adventure" is a reference to _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_.


	19. A Soup of Precures (Part I)

**Chapter 19: A Soup of Precures (Part I)**

We found ourselves inside one of the many large compartmental chambers of the sprawling complex underneath Moebius' tower. This one in particular was one of the few designated staging areas used for travel between parallel worlds. In the middle of the room was a large monument consisting of several upright concentric rings that stood atop an elevated platform. A ramp led up to the platform and onto a raised walkway that seemed to go right through the rings, only to stop short beneath them. There was a command and control centre above and behind us where the operators for this contraption could monitor its status from a strategic vantage point. For now, Hayato and Shun were up there, making final preparations with their research team while the rest of us waited.

Hayato spoke though a microphone that projected his voice into the chamber via loudspeaker. "Setsuna, are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Setsuna said. "Everything that you've monitored so far matches up with Ken and Marisu's story. If we are indeed dealing with a threat that meant the end of reality as we know it, then every available Precure must be here and ready to deal with it, myself included."

"And the boy too?"

"He's one of us."

A shiver ran down my spine right after Setsuna proclaimed me a fellow team member. "Hey, Setsuna. 'Every Precure available' – that's just the ten of us?"

"Unfortunately," she said. "As much as I'd like to have the rest of our friends here as well, but it will take time to organise the lot of them and gather them here. We don't know how much time we have, so we'll have to go in as the advance troops. Besides, it's already risky enough to jump into the unknown without any prior knowledge or preparation at all; we certainly don't want to send everyone until we know how dangerous it is."

Setsuna was absolutely right. If everything went as planned, we would be the first humans to ever breach the walls in between reality, to exist where nothing was even supposed to exist at all. It was a significant, but calculated, risk and no one knew what would happen to any of us upon arrival. I looked around and took note of the rather gloomy atmosphere that hung about everyone. I'd half expect someone to crack a joke or two and liven up the mood but everyone seemed rather tense, either staring aimlessly at their feet or restlessly into space.

"Hey Marisu."

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared?"

"I would be lying if I said no," she said. "Yes, I'm scared. But not just about what we're going to do. It's also about what had been said earlier. That we, somehow, were the ones who destroyed entire universes. Can you imagine the billions of voices out there that cried out in terror, and then suddenly silenced?"

I hung my head down, unsure of how to respond to that. Besides, what she said was true, after all.

"Don't blame yourselves," Setsuna said. "Your sins are nothing compared to what I have been though. You have just been unwilling instruments of another's plans, whereas I used to be a servant of Moebius, believing his every word as if they were absolute truth. I hate that old side of me, but it is a burden that I have to bear. The restoration of Labyrinth is but one small contribution towards my atonement."

"You'll be alright." I showed Marisu the bravest face that I could muster at such short notice. "I'll make sure you come back in one piece."

"It… it's Haruka."

"What?"

"My name. My real name is Haruka." She had a nervous look about her as she continued to speak to us. "When I first woke up in this world, I was lost. Then through what may have been pure luck or perhaps fate, I gained powers that I didn't fully understand. I'm not even sure why I decided to go with a fictional name instead of using my real one. Maybe I just wanted to sound cooler; I had just become a super hero, after all. And so I called myself Akahime Marisu, the Red Princess. That's so much better than plain ol' Haruka."

"Well, Haruka is a nice name too," I said.

"Yeah, simple and succinct. Not overly long like someone else here." Megumi smirked while nudging Hime with her elbow.

"Hey!" Hime said in protest.

This was enough to get everyone laughing again. We could all use the lighter mood before we dived headlong into certain death, after all. There was this immense pressure on us to not fail; but on the other hand, the entire situation was so vague that we didn't even know what we were supposed to do. In short, we did not have enough intelligence to even formulate a plan, other than "go and kick Monolith's ass and save the universe". On the bright side, an extremely generalised and vague plan that had more bravado than substance was better than no plan at all.

The loudspeaker crackled to life once more, transmitting Hayato's voice clearly through the microphone. "Shun's almost done with the preparations and tuning of the instruments up here. You should all transform into Precures now."

We took out our respective transformation devices and called out our individual catch-phrases. Then, as if we were on the stage of a Vocaloid concert, the light show began.

Several men in white lab coats shuffled into the room. They carted in what looked like full-faced breathing masks and began handing these out to each and every one of us.

"These should help you survive over on the other side," Shun's voice echoed through the loudspeaker. "They contain life support systems as well as a dual-system communicator. One is a long range high frequency radio communicator. If that fails to function then it will fall back to a short-ranged laser system instead. Bear in mind that the laser communicator requires line of sight in order to function. However, it should also be the most reliable means of communication where you are going. Additionally, while you are over on the other side, please remain in your Pretty Cure form. It should protect you from whatever elements you may experience there."

The great rings in the middle of the room came to life. They began clicking and turning in opposite directions relative to one another and, like a great combination lock, took several clicks in one direction before coming to a halt and then spinning the other way around. After several such clicks and cycles, a shimmering portal of silver welled up inside the great ring, its surface rippling like a pool of water. The portal and the surrounding machinery and instrumentation hummed with a low and constant note as an overt reminder of its presence.

Shun's voice sounded over the loudspeaker again. "I would like to remind you that once you are over on the other side, we have absolutely no way of monitoring or tracking you. You will be completely on your own, so stick together and don't do anything stupid. We'll try to maintain power to the portal as long as possible but at most, you will have approximately thirty minutes before the life support system in your masks fail or the stability of the gate becomes compromised and we are forced to shut the portal down."

I took a deep breath and walked along the platform leading to the portal. Cure Crimson walked by my side, followed by the Fresh Precure team and then the Happiness Charge team. I lifted my hand and placed my palm over the surface of the portal. It rippled like water as my hand made contact with it, sending a tingling sensation coursing through my arm and down my spine. I felt cold. Very cold.

I turned to meet everyone's gaze. "Everyone ready?"

Once I had everyone's acknowledgement, I took one more deep breath – potentially the last one that I would take in this world – before closing my eyes and stepping into the ripple through time and space itself.

* * *

It was cold. Cold and silent, unlike anything that I have ever experienced. I could almost hear the sound of my own heartbeat, let alone feel its rhythmic tremors coursing through my body in this strange, _unnatural_ landscape of a world. Everything was blanketed in darkness. Except it wasn't actually dark at all, for I could clearly see myself and my companions coming through the portal. I didn't bother to think about where the light might be coming from; everything here already felt so _wrong_, and besides, I didn't feel the urge to explore the smaller, trivial mysteries of this place when there were bigger issues at hand.

Behind me, the great round portal, like a wormhole, rippled back and forth as more and more Precures stepped through from the other side. Their reaction once they had fully entered this realm was the same as mine – disorientation, not knowing up from down due to the complete lack of a solid ground to gain bearings from. Indeed, it was like floating in the depths of outer space itself, but minus the stars the planetary bodies of interstellar space.

Mists from my own breath clouded my visor temporarily before the internal life support systems worked to clear it up, and I quickly learnt to control my breathing to minimise the effect. "Testing… is this thing working?"

"I hear you loud and clear," Cure Passion's voice crackled through the embedded commlink.

"I hear you too," came Fortune's voice, and then everyone else acknowledged each other the same way.

"I think that accounted for everyone," Peach declared. She shot a glance at Lovely, who nodded in response.

"How are we supposed to move around in this place?" Princess began flapping her arms from her front to back, as if performing a breaststroke in water. She remained in place, looking absolutely silly in the process.

Honey deftly flitted towards Princess, her golden-yellow wings glowing brightly in the void. "Look, you can still fly, silly."

"Hey, this is cool." Lovely began performing a series of turns and barrel rolls with her pink wings fully formed on her back.

Soon the rest of the Happiness Charge Precures were performing various aerial manoeuvres as they grew accustomed to the dynamics of the void. Cure Crimson was initially hesitant to call for her wings, but soon she too began to acclimatise herself with the environment. Peach, Berry, Pine and Passion, on the other hand, seemed at loss.

"Don't you all have winged forms as well?" I asked no one in particular.

"Well, sort of," came Cure Peach's reply, "but it's not like we can simply call that form over here, not without a connection to the people."

"Then let's pair up," Fortune said. "Each one of us can partner with another. Well, except for Crimson and… err… Red, was it?"

Oh great. Crimson and Red. It sounded like a cliché 80's TV show… and we might as well fight crime together also. "Err, yeah, Red. Though honestly I don't know what I was thinking when I thought of it."

"Well, it may be plain and simple, but it kind of fits," Crimson said.

So Peach was paired with Lovely, Berry with Princess, Pine with Honey and Passion with Fortune. Since both Crimson and I were still able to fly independently, the role of advance scout fell up us. We began to proceed into the void without any real plan besides "move forward and see where it takes us", while using the location of the portal back home as a reference point, like a light house during a dark and stormy night. We also needed to keep an eye on the digital clock that was ever present on the heads-up display of our visors, a constant reminder to the time limit that was imposed upon us by Hayato and Shun's team.

We felt a breeze all of a sudden. But only it wasn't, for there could be no such thing in this empty void. It definitely brushed against our exposed skin and ruffled our hair though, imparting a very slight tingling sensation in the process. That sensation felt very familiar. It was almost the same feeling as when I twirled the little disc on the _LovePreBrace_ to activate my Precure powers. No, that wasn't wind at all. It was energy, possibly the life energy of reality itself, moving through the void like a current in the vast sea of nothingness.

We quickly followed the current as best as we could. Then for a very brief moment, the void was illuminated by a great column of light, as if a polished surface had caught the reflection of a light source for an instant. I felt nothing after that, as if the current of energy had suddenly ceased to exist, but that feeling was soon filled with something dark. It was a sense of foreboding, of despair, and of fear itself. It was a feeling that I knew all too well, and I shot a glance at Cure Crimson to confirm my thoughts. Her shocked expression that showed through the partially misted visor was good enough evidence that we were now in the presence of Monolith itself.

"Ken, Haruka," a deep resonating voice echoed inside our heads. "Peach, Berry, Pine, and Eas," the voice continued.

"Do not call me by that name!" Cure Passion said.

Peach recoiled at the mention of her name. "Who are you?"

"I am Monolith."

"How do you know of us?" Passion asked.

"I know you all very well. Especially you, Eas."

"I said don't call me by that name!"

"Oh, but that is your true name, for you once served me under that name and soon, you shall do so again once I have remade all of reality. Everything and everyone shall bow to me once again, Eas."

"Mo- Moebius?" Passion's voice noticeably faltered.

"I who was once Moebius have now ascended the physical, to be reborn again as Monolith. Now bow before your master!"

"How is this possible?" Peach said. "We defeated you!"

"You humans have such a very limited concept of consciousness, as if there can be only one soul inhabiting a single body. But through experimentation and research I have made many, transporting my consciousness into empty shells and creating backups of myself within the depths of the tower of Labyrinth. Until you defiled my domain. Until you nearly destroyed everything, Cure Peach. But you have failed to find and destroy one last backup. One last me that would transcend beyond time and reality itself. And now the punishment for this failure would be your destruction."

"So that's it? You plan to destroy everything just for petty revenge?"

"No, not revenge, Cure Peach. Once I sought to subjugate and enslave all the parallel worlds, to make everyone bow to me as their supreme ruler. But in this form I can do even more. With the great power that I have absorbed thus far, I can reshape all of reality itself. I can destroy the old worlds and recreate them, making worlds where everyone is naturally subservient to me, where nothing exists to oppose me at all."

Passion raised her fist and clenched tightly. "You seek to become a god?"

"Why of course, Eas. With the power over all of reality itself, what else can I be other than god himself?"

"You're insane!" Berry said.

"We won't let this happen," Pine added. "We'll stop you, like we once did!"

"Such foolishness. As expected of you Precures, acting so high and mighty even though you have absolutely no power to stop me."

As the back and forth between them went on, I tried to study my surroundings. Despite the heavy sense of foreboding and the general feeling of a malicious presence, there was nothing to be seen or found. So I took a chance and hurled my signature red globe in the general direction where the current of energy disappeared to. The magical bullet sped forth and then seemed to splatter on something solid before dissipating. A brief flash of red ran across the surface of what seemed like a smooth obsidian wall before fading into the darkness.

"Know your place, singularity. You are no longer of any use to me and should return home to await your death."

"Like hell I will." I hurled another blast at that last point of impact for good measure. Crimson followed up with a beam of her own, and soon afterwards the empty space was filled with multiple beams of energy from the other Precures. The attacks crashed against a seemingly impervious wall in the dark, and for the brief duration of the assault we could finally catch a glimpse Monolith's full form. It was like great upright column of black stone, stretching on for what seemed like infinity and in comparison, we were mere specks of dust in its presence.

"You misunderstand me, singularity. You _will_ all return to your worlds and await destruction. That is not a request, but a command that you shall obey."

We all felt a deep rumbling as the great obsidian column began to glow with an aura of light. Its radiance became so overbearing that we had to squint and shield our eyes. Shortly after that a tremendous wave of energy seemed to blast across our bodies…

* * *

The sounds of people and the honking of cars filled my ears. The cool breeze of air-conditioning washed over my body. The smell of the artificially-cooled air, mixed with the sweat of people and the carbon monoxide of traffic, filled my nostrils. Someone pat me on the back. "Earth to Ken, please come in."

That was Kazuki. He was my fellow classmate, and we were – I blinked, then briefly scanned my surroundings to be sure – browsing a video games store after school in Akihabara. What was I doing here again? I stared at the odd-looking pink and violet handheld console in my hand.

"Looks dead. Are the batteries in?"

I tossed the thing back into the pile of used consoles that were being offered at bargain basement prices. "Nah, it's probably just a piece of junk." I rubbed the back of my head, wondering if there was anything else that I was supposed to be doing here.

"You were spaced out for a while back there. Something on your mind?"

"I'm- I'm not exactly sure." It was like trying to remember a dream. There was something lingering back there that wanted to be brought back to the forefront, and for some inexplicable reason it was bugging the hell out of me. "I think I just want to go home now. Did you find anything you want?"

"Nu-uh. Just the same old crap every time."

"Alright, then let's go."

When we left the store, the warm and yellowish sun reminded us that it would get dark soon. We quickened our pace, making our way through the vast sea of people that populated the Akihabara district of Tokyo. Our destination was the nearest train station, where we would part and take our separate ways home. What day was it again? I wasn't even sure if we had school tomorrow or if there was any homework to be done.

"So Kazuki, what are we supposed to be doing again, tomorrow?"

"Just school and then hanging out at the club room, I suppose?" My friend cocked his head and gave me a confused look. "You're really acting kind of strange today, you know that? Is something bugging you or what?"

"It's probably nothing."

We soon reached the bustling complex that was the Akihabara Station and parted ways. "See you at school tomorrow, dude." Kazuki scanned his access pass over the electronic gate and threw a parting wave before disappearing into the crowd. I then headed towards the gates leading to my platform and proceeded to pull out the pass from my pocket. Except it wasn't a train access pass at all. I stared at the semi-transparent plastic card with the image of a red dress in my hand. Reaching into my pocket again, I pulled out what was supposed to be my cell phone, but instead there was a _PreChanMirror_ in my grasp.

I turned around and hurriedly made my way through the crowd, going back out towards the exit. The bustling streets of Akihabara overwhelmed my senses as I struggled to take in what had actually happened. "You will all return to your worlds and await destruction," I recalled a voice in my mind saying. I was home indeed, but what of this destruction that the voice spoke of? Streams of memories quickly came back to me, a stark reminder that the many, many weeks that have passed in my mind had not been a dream at all. Everything was real, and the transformation device in my hand attested towards the authenticity of it. But all around me, people swarmed to and fro, going about their own businesses, completely oblivious to worlds that existed outside of our own. And of the danger that they all faced…

The low rumbling of thunder growled in the sky. Dark grey clouds quickly formed out of nothing. People began looking up in confusion. One moment it was bright and sunny, but now there was apparently going to be a thunderstorm instead? Some began drawing umbrellas out from their bags. Others unfolded long coats and fisherman hats and hastily donned them. But some others raised their cell phones into the air, camera or video apps activated and at the ready. Was this how the world was supposed to end?

Lightning cracked and a ragged network of light burst across the sky in a single instant. The clouds, now almost as black as night, completely enveloped the sky, leaving not a single gap for sunlight to penetrate. Another vast network of lightning shot across the sky, but it was a dry storm. The air felt warm and stuffy; it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. People held their umbrellas up and over their heads, but there was no rain to beat against them.

Another crack of lightning came down from the heavens. The earth shook, the tremors strong enough to catch some people off balance. Many began shuffling out of buildings and onto the streets, staring up into the heavens with cell phones and tablets pointed up. The sky was now literally a storm of lightning brewing high up above us and the interval between the cracks of thunder became shorter and shorter. There was another flash, so bright that I had to shield my eyes, followed by an eerie silence on the ground.

I looked around and did not find a single human soul in sight. The sky was still as violent as ever, but the rest of the world had gone dark, draped in a pale shade of grey, as if it had lost its colours and its shine. The ground continued to tremble as lightning arced across the sky. Out of instinct, I pulled the _PreChanMirror_ out from my pocket and held it aloft. I felt as if the device was calling out for me, desperate and panicked, like a frantic cry for one last attempt at saving a world already gone to hell. And so I listened to its voice, slotting the three most important cards in and prepared to say those words. The words that was supposed to bring love, joy, hope and happiness… but what use would such words do now? There was only one way to find out.

"Precure rolling mirror change!"

* * *

The sky continued to cry in anger, lashing out at the forsaken world with streaks of lightning. There was a deafening thunderclap as one of the charged bolts struck a nearby building. In a slow and destructive rumble, the concrete structure jerked and then fell to its side with an explosive blast of dust and smoke.

I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to do. What was there to fight? The sky itself? Well, in the absence of anything else to shoot at, that seemed like the craziest yet most logical plan. _Think happy thoughts_, my mind kept saying to itself, and true enough, the result was a great cascading beam of light that shot out of my outstretched hands. It parted a small opening in the storm clouds. However, no ray of light shone through, as if the sun wasn't even there anymore. But I have certainly pissed _something_ off, for the storm of thunder and lightning seemed to intensify, as if reacting to my attack. Several dozen bolts of black lighting struck the city around me and the ground itself trembled with each blast.

Once the deafening boom had subsided and the resulting dust cloud had cleared, many dark figures began to rise where the black lightning struck, some as tall as the skyscrapers themselves. These black, formless masses bubbled and squirmed, and then as if being shaped like modelling clay, they began to take form. The closest one to me, several blocks down the road, turned into a towering thicket of branches and thorny vines entangled within each other. Some of these vines extruded from the main body to form appendages that allowed the thing to move as well as manipulate its surroundings. "Sorewatase!" it bellowed.

Somewhere far away, behind several buildings, I could hear the battle cries of the other forms. "Zakenna!" "Uzaina!" "Hoshina!" There were probably even more, but they sounded distant as many of them were very far away from my present location.

On instinct, I leapt to one side just as the asphalt exploded into small pieces of rubble beside me. "Saiark!" a black humanoid wearing a green scarf and red sunglasses screamed.

Somewhere over at a distance, even more of these creatures were being born, some singing in a most unwholesome melody. "Kowaina!" "Negatone!"

And then atop the remains of the Akihabara Station, a large purple squid with a winged black heart emblazoned on what would be its forehead squirmed into view, its menacing eyes of yellow locked directly onto mine. It sent a shiver down my spine; I certainly did not have any love for such boneless, squiggly and probably slimy things.

More and more of these creatures were born, all probably for a single purpose that I easily guessed: to squash the remaining piece of resistance that this broken world had for a defender. Me. How was I, just a single individual, supposed to fight them all and save the world? How was I even going to save the world, if at all? _A singularity point. A person who is unaffected by the flow and ebb of time_, a voice in my head spoke. Shun's voice. I was still confused nevertheless. "I don't understand what I must do!" If only everyone were here…

A great shadow loomed over me. Something huge dropped from above, descending onto me like a hammer on a nail. I only managed to get a glimpse of something very large, perhaps the base of a building or structure, before I was blanketed in darkness. "Akanbe!" was the last sound that rang in my ears…

I slowly opened my eyes and was met only by darkness. There was nothing, almost as if I was in the void again? But this seemed different. Everything felt so unreal, like a dream or nightmare even. There was no sense of up or down, no physical feeling or touch, and no sound to be heard. I flailed around with my arms and legs, like a panicked child slowly drowning in a deep ocean, unable to swim or rise back to the surface. Something was pulling me down, if "down" was even the right word at all, in this strange realm of emptiness where nothing existed. Where nothing mattered. Where all hope was lost and despair was the only thing left… _No!_ I thought. My mind screamed like an enraged bear. How could I even entertain the thought of leaving everything behind? I had a little sister as well as a family to go home to. And what about Kazuki, whom I had just seen less than an hour ago? Besides them, what about the rest of my friends? Haruka, Marie and Miss Sugimoto, whatever their real names might have been, Megumi, Iona, Setsuna, and everyone else who had placed their trust in me. I'm sure that even though they weren't here right now, but everyone was still fighting till the very end. I couldn't afford to just fall into despair right now, not when everyone else carried on fighting. I _had_ to fight as well.

I tried "swimming" again, using powerful breaststrokes to try and pull myself up in the opposite direction of whatever force it was that dragged me down. As I struggled, I saw a tiny glimmer – a light perhaps – far ahead. It flickered, like that of a distant star, but its very existence was the single ray of hope that I needed in an infinite void of hopelessness and despair. It was my only chance, and I kept pushing myself forward. On and on, one stroke at a time…

Then an angel appeared from the heavens. She had long, golden hair and pink ribbons, and was draped in an elegant dress of white and pink. She descended from the light that now shone even brighter than before. "Don't ever give up hope, for with it you may achieve great things."

She extended her hand out to me. It was an offer that I took without hesitation. And then with a gentle tug, I felt the rush of being pulled up from a pit of desolation, one filled with sorrow, hate and despair, and into a bright and warm tunnel of hope and joy. And then I heard the angel speak once more: "Let us fight against the darkness one last time. Let us make a stand and together, protect what remains of the worlds with the unwavering strength of our hearts. Deliver my feelings and overcome the darkness with light… Heartful Echo!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Moebius/Monolith speaks of a concept in Transhumanism, where the concept of mind and soul can be "backed up" and stored as digital copies. It is a major concept in a lot of transhumanist and cyberpunk genres, allowing the concept of cybernetic brains to exist. In such settings, it is common that one makes a backup of their mind, which can then be uploaded and restored into another body in case the main body was destroyed.

The portal room at the beginning — it does sound like Stargate Command's staging area in the TV series _Stargate SG-1_, doesn't it?

Obi-Wan Kenobi said he felt "… as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced" after the destruction of Alderaan in_ Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope_.

The little pink and violet handheld console is a reference to one episode in the anime _Haiyore! Nyaruko-San_, where the protagonist Mahiro picked up a strange console that transported everyone into a visual novel.


	20. A Soup of Precures (Part II)

**Chapter 20: A Soup of Precures (Part II)**

"Are you all right?"

I nearly cringed at hearing that all-too-familiar phrase again, except that it was a different voice who spoke. The person who said it was none other than the girl that I saw in the dream, Cure Echo. Cure Crimson was by her side, and together they pulled me back to my feet. "Thanks…" I said, only to trail off and let my jaw drop at the scene that played out before me.

We were beneath the shadow of something large – so large, in fact, that it might have covered an entire football field. Whatever it was, it would have crushed us all if not for the two dozen or more girls around us holding the object up over their heads. "On my mark," said one short-haired blond in a black dress with white and pink trims. Cure Black, the first and most senior of Precures, gave everyone the signal and with a mighty heave, they catapulted the object skyward.

"Akanbe!" the thing bellowed and as it tumbled through the air, I could clearly see what it was: an enormous school building with a red nose.

"I'll take care of it!" One of the girls in pink stepped forward. A Precure like the others, she sported long twin tails and a winged tiara. Tracing a heart-shaped pattern with her hands, she yelled "Happy Shower!" and fired off a blast of purification energy at the airborne Akanbe.

"Cure Happy…" I muttered.

"That's me all right!" The girl grinned and gave me the thumbs up.

All around me, Precures from all generations stood at the ready, forming a defensive circle and keeping an eye on the monsters that surrounded us. I recognised nearly all of them. Cures Black and White, Shiny Luminous, Cures Bloom and Egret, and all the teams: Yes! Precure 5, the Fresh Precure team, the Heartcatch Precures, Suite, Smile, DokiDoki!, and the Happiness Charge team. Plus Cures Echo, Crimson, Sparkle, Twilight and three other girls in pink, blue and yellow whom I have not seen before. "You're all here… but how?"

"While we were at Labyrinth, Tarte, Chiffon, Ribbon and Glasan were busy gathering everyone together back in Clover Town," Cure Passion said. "When Monolith forced us all back into our worlds, Hayato and Shun were frantically trying to locate both you and Crimson. Somehow you managed to reach out to us and Cure Echo heard your call. Both you and Crimson managed to linked the bridge between realities that allowed us all to be here."

"I don't really get it, but it's good to see you again. All of you – even the two of you, Sparkle and Twilight. I thought that everything was already lost, but this is really amazing!"

"Well, it's not like we had a choice." Cure Twilight shrugged. "It's the end of the world, after all. If we don't come and help now, who knows what could happen without our help."

"Pretentious Precure is pretentious." Crimson playfully jabbed Twilight in the shoulder.

"Love to chat and sign autographs, but I think we've got other problems to deal with first," Cure Black said as dozens of monsters began to approach from all sides.

"Right," I said. "It'll be a pleasure to fight alongside you all."

"Here they come!" And just like that, the battle to save all of reality began in earnest.

* * *

Everyone seemed to know what to do. Black, White and Shiny Luminous leapt towards the closest monster. Bloom and Egret went after the next one. Each team took off and engaged the surrounding creatures like a well-oiled and coordinated battle unit, leaving just me and Crimson behind, looking like the amateurs that we were.

"Uhh… so how do we go about this?"

"Look for something to punch?" said Crimson.

"That's a plan. How about that one?" I pointed at a monstrous jumbo jet that was going round in circles up in the sky.

"Okay, it's yours. I'll go kick that walking traffic light's ass over there while it still has its back on me." Crimson sped off before I could respond. Since when did she develop such a snarky sense of humour?

I took to the skies and circled around the flying beast, making sure to stay on its tail and hoping to go unnoticed until I was close enough to deliver an accurate blast up its rear end. Below, fights have erupted among the various Pretty Cure teams and the monsters. It was like a great disco light show down there; the more magic-focused teams traded beams of various colours with their opponents while the physically-inclined girls quickly closed in on their opponents and engaged them in swift and dramatic fisticuffs.

The monstrous plane suddenly banked to its right, then began to dive. "Zakenna!" it screamed as it began accelerating towards a trio of Precures on the ground.

I dropped all pretence of stealth and made a beeline towards the creature. Once I was in range, I hurled a ball of red energy at it. The magical bullet clipped it at the wing and in response, it turned around and glared at me with its fearsome yellow eyes. I had certainly managed to catch its attention! Now to see if I could purify it before it reached me…

"Zakenna!" the creature cried out once more as it began increasing its speed. It was a large commercial liner alright, but with a furious-looking face and a wide, gaping mouth baring sharp teeth where the nose cone would have been.

Once upon a time, I would have been panicked by an angry plane lunging towards me with a wide open maw designed to swallow a person whole. But there was so much at stake now. This was not just any parallel world I was fighting for; this was my own home. My world. The _LovePreBrace_ on my left wrist seemed to sing with trepidation for the brief moment before shooting a magical bullet right into its open jaw. The Zakenna seemed to choke over its unexpected meal, so I ducked underneath its great underbelly and then shot myself towards the creature with one foot forward. "Precure kicking kick!"

The massive jumbo jet, as if having a bendable waist, doubled over in pain. Without warning, it burst into hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny little harmless stars that scattered into the sky and onto the desolate cityscape below where a massive battle was still taking place. I lowered myself down to the streets to take stock of the situation.

Over to my left, a red and a purple Precure brought down an over-sized bipedal fire hydrant. To my right, a green and an orange Precure worked hand-in-hand to befuddle a giant record disc.

In front of me, a house bearing a large red nose was chasing down a pair of yellow Precures, who hurriedly backpedalled to get out of the monster's reach. I leaned forward, mentally willing my wings to propel myself towards the pair, when something soft and slimy wrapped itself around my legs. That perverted squid from before simply would not let me be, would it? Before I knew it, my face unceremoniously met the concrete pavement with a dull thud.

I pulled myself back up to find a large, black amorphous thing slither over towards me. A single mask with a long hooked nose, like a visage of fear itself, was attached to this shapeless blob. It coiled up and slithered like a snake, its serpentine body rearing backwards to strike. I tried to jump to my feet, only to realise that the slimy tentacle was still firmly wrapped around both legs. Then something raced past me from behind; she was black and pink, with short blond hair. She launched herself up and towards it with her fist aimed right at the creature's mask. And so the Kowaina gazed into the fist of Cure Black before its mask splintered into over a dozen pieces.

I gave Cure Black the thumbs up, which she returned in kind before focusing her attention towards whatever immediate threats that caught her sight next. I spun around, intent on dealing with this incessantly persistent Jikochuu myself. And then it exploded in a shower of dust and smoke as a bolt of fire struck from above. Cure Crimson dropped down and dusted her hands as she examined her handiwork.

"Hey, that was supposed to be my kill," I said.

"Oh really?" Crimson smirked. "I thought you were completely wrapped up in your ogling of Cure Black to do anything."

I couldn't help but let out an audible groan. "I see you've been working on your cracks like a friendly neighbourhood Precure."

A pink Precure dropped down beside us. She was one of the three whom I did not recognise, wearing an unusually long dress with white trims. The only other girl I knew with such a long dress was Cure Moonlight, and she was no Moonlight at all. She took several short, unsteady breathes through her mouth. "So… many… of them…"

"You can say that again," I said. "By the way, I don't believe we've been acquainted."

"Oh dear, you're right!" She straightened herself up and smiled. "I'm Cure Flora. And those are my friends-" she hastily looked around and spotted a blue and a yellow Precure fighting off a man-sized crab with a heart-shaped body. "That's Cure Mermaid and Cure Twinkle."

"Pleased to meet you," I said. "You can call me Cure Red… I guess… and this is my friend Cure Crimson."

"You guess?" Crimson scratched her head. "Don't tell me you're still uncomfortable with-"

The shadow of a tall building – an observation tower – with a blue, round nose loomed over us. It bared its great fangs at us and growled, only to be knocked off balance by a spiralling blast of gold and blue light. "Hey, quit slacking around and go punch something already!" Cure Bloom said as she leapt over us together with her partner, Cure Egret, in pursuit of the tower Akanbe.

"All right, Bloom-sempai!" Flora threw a parting wave at us and then left with a bound, rejoining her friends in battle.

I threw a glance at Crimson and shrugged. "Let's go take on that creepy trio of cheerleaders over there next."

"You sure have weird fetishes," Crimson said as she joined me. And so we continued to battle all manner of strange-looking creatures with determination and ferocity, pushing back our monstrous opponents and then purifying them with beams of magical light. Soon the streets were nearly empty once more, and everyone gathered around to decide our next course of action.

Black lightning reigned down from the sky once again, and this time even more dark things began taking form across the city and around us. As if that wasn't enough, the ground itself seemed to come alive, shuddering and tilting erratically from that second wave of bolts. Everything felt lighter too; no, scratch that – everything became lighter. Small pieces of debris began to rise while sand and dust were suspended in the air like a thick layer of smog. A deep crack ripped across the road where we stood, cleanly dividing our group in the middle. Some of us, yours truly included, glanced down into the crack and were greeted by the abyss of nothingness and the void.

"Uh guys, I think we had better end this soon before there is nothing left of the world to fight for," I said.

"Not to ruin the mood even further, but it looks like there's even more of them now." Crimson pointed down the street and we all took note of the mob of Zakennas, Uzainas, Kowainas and whatnots gathering in large droves.

"Would be useful if we had a plan to begin with," Cure Black said.

"Something like, you punch this side and I punch that side?" Cure Bloom asked.

"Or we punch this group, you kick that group, they blast the rest while we cheer you on?" Cure Marine said with a grin.

I pointed at the overhanging clouds. "It started when I took a shot at the sky. It went through the clouds, and I think I might have pissed something off." I shrugged at Cure Black. "Maybe we can try something like that again, but with a bit more bite this time?"

"Better than nothing, I suppose." Cure Black looked to the sky. "Besides, someone's got to show 'em what real black lightning looks like." She took hold of her partner's hand and they both flung their other free hand skyward.

"Black thunder!" Cure Black announced. A bolt of lightning as dark as night arced onto her raised hand and then began to dance and flicker around her.

"White thunder!" Cure White said in response and, like her partner, she attracted arcs of lightning as white as snow around her.

In unison, they punched towards the dark clouds and chanted, "Precure Marble Screw Max!"

Their spiralling bolt of black and white energy flew across the dreary atmosphere and penetrated the clouds, temporarily parting them as the bolt made its way skyward before disappearing into the void. There was a deep rumble like thunder, and then the clouds began to move again, slowly but steadily closing the little hole that their attack made.

"Not going to happen!" Cure Bloom announced. She and her partner, Cure Egret, shot another spiralling beam of glittering gold and blue into the opening. The rest of the Precures followed suite, pouring all their magical purification energies into the breach made by Black and White.

Like a great supernova, the combined attack by all the Precures blasted the dark formation of clouds aside and for a brief moment, we saw a great ball of fire like a sun, distant and floating in the middle of the void. It flared brightly, sending tendrils of hot plasma sputtering in all directions as if announcing its great displeasure at us. The nearby buildings and intersections exploded into blossoms of fire and smoke. And then that deep, familiar voice rumbled inside our minds, "Insolent Precures. Your opposition is useless before me. My power in this domain is now absolute and you will all cease to exist once the reconstruction of reality is complete."

"Screw you, Monolith!" I said while shaking my fist in its general direction. "You think we're going to just stand idly by and watch you destroy the world?"

"It is too late, singularity. The destruction is nearly complete. As impossible as it may sound, you too shall be erased from existence in my new world."

The sky rumbled yet again. That was never a good sign. Sparks of lightning arced across the sky, briefly illuminating the endless canopy of black clouds that hung overhead. A few bolts lashed out at the surrounding cityscape. Several more buildings were felled and the ground shook violently in response. New cracks began to form across the ground, racing across the concrete pavements and asphalt roads while zigzagging like a grounded lightning bolt. This world was falling apart faster than anyone had anticipated, and I wondered if there was even anything left beyond the city limits as far as my eyes could see. Then a deafening crack blasted our senses as a great bolt of black energy came rushing down onto the spot where we had all gathered, exploding in our very midst.

* * *

Ever since obtaining a _PreChanMirror_, I have had the pleasure of experiencing all manner of unpleasant things, from being smacked through a concrete wall to being hit by an energy beam. Now I can add being singed by lightning to that list. It was like suddenly being engulfed in a ball of plasma, feeling the burning heat all over, and then losing complete control over all motor functions. Unable to stand on my own, I was powerless to stop my own body from crumpling to the ground. The intense heat from the blast could still be felt through the numbing feeling that enveloped my body. When my eyes had finally decided that I would be able to command them once again, I took note that everyone around me was also down for the count.

It took a monumental amount of effort just to get up to my knees. Lightning seemed to have that kind of debilitating effect on one's muscles. Nevertheless, I – no, _we_ – had to get up and fight back, or all would be lost.

"We don't go down so easily." Cure Black gritted her teeth as she helped pull her partner, Cure White, to her feet.

"It'll take more than just a bit of lightning to stop up." Cure Bloom forced herself up with Cure Egret's arm wrapped around her.

"Honestly, we've been through worse times." Cure Dream struggled to her feet and the rest of her team – Rouge, Lemonade, Mint, Aqua and Milky Rose – followed her lead.

Cure Peach huddled together with Berry, Pine and Passion, then shot a determined look towards the great ball of fire in the void. "We've beaten you before, and we'll beat you again and that's a promise!"

"We've had the world turned into a desert once," Cure Blossom said with the full support of her friends Marine, Sunshine and Moonlight. "All of this is nothing, for it won't last long. We'll restore everything that you have destroyed once we've defeated you."

"Silence!" Monolith's voice boomed inside our heads. "Your insolence is becoming intolerably infuriating! I shall wipe you all out now before I continue to terraform the rest of reality!"

Monolith's words struck fear in our hearts. We were all still weak from that last blow; if another one of similar or greater magnitude were to strike, we might as well call it quits there and then. But what of that forever optimistic view of the Precures? What of all that talk of not losing hope, and of fighting till the very end? Surely there had to be an answer. A miracle, perhaps, for that is what we all are. The Precures are the essence of a miracle, able to light the candle of hope within even the strongest of storms, to prevail where there is no other option but death and despair. So where is our light now? Where is our miracle when we needed it the most?

The answer came from the most unlikely source. The people from around the world, or at least those who had somehow managed to survive the initial wave of destruction, would all lend us their feelings and their hearts. And somehow, we could still feel that last drop of hope still alive within them and properly respond to them. Alone, they amounted to nothing… but like a single grain of sand, put enough of them together and they can form a mountain. And in all of reality, hope was infinite even if it came in tiny, almost negligible sparks. They were miracle lights that were ready to shine and sparkle; all it took was for people to hope. It didn't matter who those people were; they could be survivors in this ongoing reality failure, or those from realities not yet affected by the cataclysm, some perhaps even viewing this great struggle of ours like a story or a legend. As long as everyone clung to hope, we would receive their power and stand tall once more. And so amid the light drizzle of Miracle Lights that rained down on us, we were given the strength to stand up once more.

"It doesn't matter how many times you knock us down," Cure Melody said. "We will continue stand up again and again, as long as necessary to defeat you and drive away all the sorrow and unhappiness that you bring to the land."

"Trying to reshape the world in your own image won't bring you or anyone else happiness at all." Cure Happy shook her head dejectedly. "Your path only leads towards greater despair, the worst of all endings. If that is your choice, then we will stop you no matter what it takes."

Cure Heart waved her hand dismissively. "To change the world and remake everything only to satisfy yourself is an incredibly vain and selfish act. You won't get your way as long as even a single one of us still stands."

"All this destruction, and just because you want the world as your own personal playground? This isn't happiness or love at all!" Cure Lovely held her hand close to her heart and lowered her head.

"We've only just met everyone here, and we're already friends." Cure Flora gestured towards all of us. "They've all got their own hopes and their own dreams. It pains me to see you try to destroy it all, to crush everyone's hopes and dreams like it meant nothing to you. We won't let you get away with any of this. You had better be prepared for what comes next!"

"I will stand and support all of my friends as I always have," Cure Echo said, showing a face that was full of determination.

"I feel a pang of regret for being fooled into working for your lackey." Cure Sparkle grasped her sister's hand tightly, then looked at us and smiled. "But I am now with my friends and together, we'll wash away our sins by wiping your sorry self out of existence once and for all!"

"And so you know what comes next," Cure Crimson said while punching at the air. "We're all gunning for you and there'll be no escape!"

"You are all fools if you think that you can still defy me. I have taken everything-"

"Yes, yes, you have taken the people that we love from us," I interrupted. "You have also taken our lands, shattering our worlds and turning them to dust so we have nothing left to stand on." I looked up at Monolith, staring at its fiery form, full of defiance. "But you know what? We're all still free, for we won't let you take the rest – the sky, the sun, hope, joy, happiness, love, our dreams and whatnot – from us!"

In unison, we renewed our assault on the burning ball of fire in the sky. Each team contributed a blast of pure purification energy directed at the baleful flame, a great beam that represented the light of everyone's hearts against the encroaching darkness. In response, a great barrier of red and purple expanded out of Monolith's core, forming a beehive wall of force that completely surrounded it. Our attacks glanced off this protective field and threw sparks of light at the point of impact, but we kept pushing on. Despite our best efforts though, we were still unable to break past Monolith's defence.

"Your meaningless gesture is as worthless as I have expected. You have no power over me here, for I am truly a god now."

Somewhere out of the darkness, another long and slender ray of light cut through the darkness and struck Monolith's barrier from another angle. And then from yet another direction, a third beam burst through. Then even more came from all directions.

"What is this?" Monolith's voice bellowed inside our minds.

"That's everyone's response to your act of aggression," I said. "You have declared war on all of reality. Now every singularity from every parallel world and every alternate universe is rallying the heroes of their world together. All of reality is challenging your forced ascension to godhood. Every single Precure in existence is denying you of your victory right this very instant. Now I can confidently say out loud that I know we're going to win!"

With renewed vigour, we gave it our all, focusing anything and everything we had into that one final push. It was one last attempt at breaking through Monolith's barrier. Everyone cried out from the tremendous amount of strain it took to both maintain the sustained blast and to pour a fresh new source of effort into the beam. It was now or never and in that single instant – a brief yet frozen moment in time – I might have felt a connection to every other alternate version of me in the universe. Every Precure, every Ken, and every Haruka in all the alternate universes were giving it their all, thinking that this was the one moment where there could not be any room for failure. All of reality was at stake. Everyone knew the consequences.

I could feel my entire body shaking from the enormous amount of stress. Every single fibre of my being was being dedicated to sustain a magical blast of pure energy directed at the one thing that could end all of reality as we knew it. And yet despite it all, I managed to smile. "Banzai!"

Cure Crimson followed suite: "Geronimo!"

Everyone else – every single Precure with me – joined in and screamed cries of hope at the top of their lungs while the great cascading streak of light extending from our outstretched hands intensified in size and power. This was enough to even drown out Monolith's screams as the barrier shattered and everyone, from all realities and alternate universes, poured their hearts into the blast that would defeat a god.

* * *

"Are you all right?"

I opened my eyes to the outstretched hands of Cure Crimson, Cure Lovely, Cure Black, Cure Echo and everyone else. They were all smiling as I took their hands and pulled myself up.

We were all standing on a round platform of light that glowed softly in the void, surrounded by what might have been an infinite field of stars in outer space. Except that those weren't stars at all; each little dot in the night sky was also another platform just like ours where vague humanoid forms stood. "Where are we?"

"We are at the end of the universe," Cure Echo said, "but do not look so concerned. Monolith is no more, so reality has been saved. Soon, the memories and the feelings of every singularity point from every parallel world and every alternate universe will restore their worlds just as you too will rebuild yours."

"I… I think I get the gist of it." I turned to Cure Crimson. "What about you, Haruka?"

Cure Crimson began to glow in a soft and golden light. As she reverted back into Haruka, and as slivers of yellow and gold began to float up and out of her, she smiled. "Don't worry about me, Ken. I too shall return to my own world so while I still have the chance to say it, thanks Ken. Thank you everyone for everything."

"I suppose it is time to say goodbye then."

Everyone was soon enveloped in the same warm glow that engulfed Haruka. Cure Lovely skipped over to me with a beaming smile spread across her face. "You know, Ken. I didn't really get a chance to thank you before, so thank you." The rest of the Happiness Charge team took positions by her side and nodded approvingly.

"Wait, why are you thanking me? I should be the one thanking all of you, for everything you did for me."

"You're wrong," said Cure Honey. She waved her hand in a sweeping motion around us. "Somehow in this temporary state of reality where everything and everyone is together and connected by the strands of fate, I can somehow feel all my other selves as if our hearts were connected as one. It is like a feeling, or perhaps instinct, but all of us somehow know what you and Haruka have done countless times, over and over, all for our sakes."

"You've done a lot, and now it is time for you to go home and earn a good rest for a job well done," Cure Fortune added.

"So I guess… goodbye and stuff. You know what I mean," Cure Princess mumbled.

All around us, the stars began to glow brighter and, like the dawn of a new day, their light shone on us with the warmth of a morning sun. When everyone began to slowly fade away, I knew that it was truly time to go. "I guess this really is goodbye then."

"It's time for us all to go back to our own worlds," Cure Echo said. She waved her hand and smiled. "So goodbye, Ken. Goodbye Haruka. We may be worlds apart, but we will remember the both of you always."

"Goodbye everyone and thanks for all the fish!" I made sure to wave at every single Precure before they had finally disappeared from sight… well, nearly everyone. "Don't you need to get going soon, Haruka?"

"Yeah… I just wanted to say thanks on last time. For everything you've done."

"Thank you too. I don't think I could have done it without you. Besides, I was thinking…"

As I struggled to find the right words, she said, "Give me your hand."

Without questioning I did as asked and Haruka placed a small object onto my palm and then closed it shut with her own. "If you ever meet your world's version of me some day, do me a favour and give this to her, okay?"

Somehow she had managed to read my mind after all, so I simply nodded.

"Well, I guess this is really goodbye then. I've got a whole world to rebuild, after all." And just like that, with a parting wave and a smile, she was gone.

And so I looked at everything around me, seeing each star glow and pulse brightly as worlds began magically restoring themselves. I wondered if my own world would be the same, or would there be anything new and different. Well, rather than wonder, I might as well take the leap of faith and open my eyes to the light of a better tomorrow.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Well Ken's epic journey is finally almost at its end. There's just one more epilogue to go and it's a wrap!

Judge Dredd said "Gaze into the fist of Dredd" as his punch went through Judge Fear's face.

A friendly neighbourhood Precure is like a friendly neighbourhood Spiderman.

Ken's speech against Monolith is based on the opening theme from the show _Firefly_.

Forming a beehive barrier is a trope listed in the TVTropes site.

Although "Geronimo" can be a common catch phrase or battle cry, Cure Crimson's use is intended as a reference to the eleventh Doctor.

"Thanks for all the fish" is another _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ reference.

_A Better Tomorrow_ is a John Woo movie starring Chow Yun Fatt.


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Onii-san, wake up! You'll be late for school again!"

It has been two weeks since the end of the world nearly happened, so the daily wake-up routines of my younger sister hasn't grown old yet. It was yet another ordinary day in an ordinary world where people like me go to school, do homework, enjoy our weekends and worry about the future rather than transform into magical persons and fight the bad guy of the week or save the world every month or so. After everything that had happened, it was somewhat of a relief to be back home and going through ordinary daily routines again, though I cannot deny that a small part of me probably still longs for the thrill of adventure once again. Still, this is the real world and there are no monsters and magical girls in this world.

After having breakfast with the family, I took off and headed to school like any other student in this modern day. The _PreChanMirror_ and the three cards that came with it were safely kept under lock and key in the desk drawer of my room. It wasn't needed in this world, after all, but every now and then I would take it out and reminisce the days of fighting Saiarks and other creatures with Cure Crimson and everyone else. Speaking of these experiences, I have yet to talk to anyone about them. No sane person would ever believe such a thing, after all. Well, not if told directly, that is.

"What would I do if I found myself in a parallel world where the Precure existed?" Kazuki tilted his head and gave me a kind of look that made you wonder just what was going on in that guy's head. "You're not thinking of doing one of those doujinshis where the main character is a Mary Sue and a thinly-veiled self-insert just to indulge in some new fantasy of yours, are you?"

"I am somewhat unsurprised at the low standards at which you hold me up to."

Kazuki simply smiled and threw his hands up. "The probabilities of such an event is practically nil. And besides, wasn't it Huge Everett or Howard Wiseman who popularised the concept of many worlds? According to their interpretation, an infinite number of such worlds exist as a result of everything that could have happened in the past, but did not, and yet did happen in those other worlds. Going by that theory, the possibility of a world where Pretty Cure, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai or just about any super hero existed would be next to impossible. It is highly unlikely that some quirk in nature or evolution could have occurred in the past leading to such a deviant alternate history where people gained superhuman powers and fought monsters and alien invaders."

"Ever the theoretical physicist, huh?"

"Well, you asked a theoretical question, so I gave you a practical answer." Kazuki shrugged. "Besides, what brought about this line of thinking today?"

"Oh nothing, just random musings to take my mind off the boring subject of school." The clock on the wall indicated that there was five more minutes until the break was over, and then it was back to the humdrum of lessons and exercises. Outside, the sky was a shade of perfect blue, sparsely populated by white puffy clouds which slowly drifted to the occasional breeze that made the leaves on the trees sway with a gentle and refreshing rustle.

"You must be bored to tears by today's lessons. Well, at least there might be something after school to cheer you up." Kazuki's face was beaming in such a way that I could only raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

"At the risk of completely being let down by a most anticlimactic reveal, humour me."

"Oh, you're such a pessimist, Ken." Kazuki waved his hand dismissively. "I heard from Yuuko earlier this morning that we may have a new club member today, and she's quite the feisty one too."

Well that certainly caught my attention. "I'm all ears."

"I think it'll be best to save the reveal for later at the club room." Kazuki chuckled. He was really such a tease but in any case, there was at least one new thing to look forward to amid all the mundanity of real life.

* * *

"Oh my, are we crowded today," Kazuki said as we entered the club room after school.

"Oh, it's just you and Ken only," said the girl that greeted us the moment Kazuki opened the door.

"Were you expecting someone else instead?"

A mischievous grin formed on her face. "You know that we're expecting a new member today-_nyaa_." That was Tsubasa for you, quite ever the hyperactive _genki_ girl of the club. I bet the lot of us would totally fit in a 4-koma-styled daily slice of life sketch. Realising that we weren't the person she had been expecting, she turned around and went back to harassing Hikaru-chan, the shy and timid member of our odd little group.

Ignoring Tsubasa's crazy antics as she forced herself upon Hikaru (in a playful way, of course), I walked into the club room and took a seat next to our club president who appeared to be so engrossed in whatever action RPG she had loaded on her handheld console that she was probably oblivious to everything that was happening around her. I threw my bag onto the table with and said, "So who's this new club member that we're expecting, Yuuko?"

"Waagh!" Her eyes widened, followed by a frenzied button-mashing session and finally ending in a resigned sigh. Her eyes wandered from the screen over to me and she said in her usual little meek voice, "Ken, you surprised me. Now I need to repeat the level all over again."

"Sorry about that. So, who are we expecting today?"

"Who?"

"You know, our new member?"

"Oh, that's right." She clasped her hands together while a slow smile spread over her mouth. "After so many months of campaigning, it looks like our efforts have finally paid off and we shall soon officially have another new member in our motley little club."

"Sounds great, but who exactly is this new member?"

"Oh, she should be here soon," Yuuko said as she adjusted her glasses and shot a glance at the clock on the wall.

And then right on cue, the door burst open and a strangely familiar-looking girl stood at the doorway with her right hand outstretched. "Greetings, fellow humans!" she said with much enthusiasm.

"Haruka?" I nearly fell off my chair right there and then.

"Eh? You know me?" she asked while pointing a finger at herself.

"Wait, did I just get that right? Is your name really Haruka?"

She blinked a couple of times. "Why, yes, though I don't believe we've met before… Ken, is it?"

"Eh?" Now it was my turn to act surprised.

"Ah sorry," she said, shaking both her hands in place. "It's just that you seemed somewhat familiar, like a person I knew from a dream. That must have sounded quite silly now, mustn't it? Wait, is your name really Ken?"

I nodded.

"And with but a single glance, the strands of fate have entwined the two lovers in a knot of eternal passion!" Tsubasa declared as she spun around and pranced about the club room.

"Oi, don't go about narrating the story your own way!" I said.

But in some ways, Tsubasa was right on the money. It was as if fate had brought us together again, even though this girl standing before me wasn't really the same Haruka that I knew. In any case, I walked up to her and offered her a little phone charm.

Her eyes widened as she recognised the little green frog that dangled off the string lanyard. "Oh wow, isn't this an ultra-rare?"

"A friend of mine said to give it to you," I said while dangling the little accessory in front of her. "Or rather, someone that matched your description. Or something like that, not that I really knew who to give it to until I… err… knew. Anyway, just take it."

"Really?" She was beaming like a little child and when I nodded my response, she deftly caught it with one quick and clean swipe of her hand.

As Haruka ogled over the seemingly rare treasure that she had just obtained, I thought about just how the club would be even more interesting and livelier with her around. Sometimes mundane life isn't so bad at all. Though this isn't the same Haruka that I knew, but deep down I felt that there was still some sort of connection between us. It might have been a weak one, but given time even small things can grow and become larger than life.

_A dream, huh?_ I thought. _I guess that's as good a start as it could ever be_.

**END**.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: And that's it! It's been an exciting eight months for me since I originally drafted this piece during NaNoWriMo 2014 and now it's finally over. Thanks to everyone who has made it this far, and especially to Muhammad Izzat Awwal, KuletXCore and Kamico who have read and reviewed my story all the way.

And now on to the references, in which there is only one that I want to reveal:

The green frog phone charm is a reference to the Gekota mascot that Misaka Mikoto loves very much in the series _A Certain Scientific Railgun_.


End file.
